In February of the previous year, Sweden’s mobile powerhouse Modern Times Group (MTG) completed a $620 million purchase of Plarium, the studio behind the wildly popular hero‑collection title Raid: Shadow Legends. That deal, while already substantial, appears to be just the opening move in a broader expansion agenda, according to Maria Redin, MTG’s president and chief executive officer. Redin told GamesIndustry.biz that the company’s ambition, set shortly after the Plarium acquisition, is to double its overall scale once more.
“We set out the vision last year that after bringing Plarium into the fold we want to double again in size,” she explained. “We will continue to drive organic growth, but to achieve that we will need to make additional acquisitions.” The timeline she cites is aggressive: the goal is to hit the doubling target within roughly three to five years. Redin noted that MTG has already demonstrated the capacity to meet bold objectives, recalling that the firm set a similar growth target in 2021 and ultimately tripled its size. The mobile gaming sector, once characterized by double‑digit expansion, has now settled into single‑digit growth as the market matures.
What was once an expansive blue ocean has turned a deep red, meaning that future growth will likely come from capturing market share from competitors or, more directly, by acquiring them outright. While buying studios is relatively straightforward, the real challenge lies in integrating those businesses without triggering the kind of cultural clashes and studio shutdowns that have plagued other large publishers.
MTG already owned a portfolio of mobile developers before the Plarium deal, including InnoGames (known for Forge of Empires), Snowprint (Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus), Hutch (F1 Clash), Ninja Kiwi (Bloons TD 6) and Futureplay (Merge Gardens). These studios were grouped into two “districts”: the Casual District and the Midcore District, the latter covering games that sit between pure casual experiences and hardcore titles. Under Redin’s rebranding effort, these divisions have been renamed Playsimple and Playamp respectively. Playsimple, named after the India‑based studio behind WordTrip, will focus on free‑to‑play, ad‑supported titles, while Playamp will house the majority of MTG’s portfolio—games that rely on in‑app purchases for revenue.
Redin emphasized that the rebranding is more than a cosmetic change. She wants to build “one of the leading gaming villages,” a phrase chosen deliberately to evoke a sense of community and belonging.
The idea is to retain talent and foster integration, especially important for a company that has been on an acquisition binge. “Gaming is the best marriage of creativity and data‑driven decisions,” she said. “People are one of our biggest assets, but you also need to create an environment where they can thrive.” To that end, MTG has been standardising technology and tools across its studios. The push for a unified tech stack began when Redin took the helm in 2020, but she believes the scale afforded by the Plarium acquisition finally allowed the vision to be fully realised.
She cautioned that standardisation must be applied sensibly; the tools needed for the ad‑driven Playsimple studios differ dramatically from those required by the midcore Playamp titles. Accordingly, the two districts are being equipped with separate, specialised technology suites.
For the Midcore side, MTG has selected portions of Plarium’s tech suite to roll out across the group, but only after a thorough internal assessment identified where sharing tools makes sense. Playsimple will use its own foundational stack for future casual studio acquisitions. This selective approach aims to avoid the pitfalls seen elsewhere—such as Electronic Arts’ forced adoption of the Frostbite engine, which caused significant friction for teams working on titles like Mass Effect.
Plarium’s GoGame marketing platform and product‑detail‑page (PDP) data system are already being leveraged throughout MTG, with additional features and functionality being added to enhance their utility. Redin explained that the goal is to maximise return on investment by giving studios the best possible tech foundation: “We want to make sure we put our efforts where we get the biggest bang for our buck… we are supercharging Playamp with a tech suite they can leverage, elevating everything that was already done.” Artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI, is another pillar of MTG’s modernization strategy.
InnoGames, for example, has been using AI‑generated content for its mobile title Sunrise Village and plans to expand AI‑driven creation across its portfolio. Redin noted that AI is being woven into many production pipelines, from A/B testing and graphics generation to quality assurance.
Successful AI tools developed in individual studios are being incorporated into the broader Plarium‑derived tech suite, allowing rapid cross‑studio diffusion of innovations. When asked whether AI could eventually replace human designers, Redin was cautious. She believes creativity remains a uniquely human trait that AI cannot fully replicate, but she also warned that ignoring AI would leave MTG trailing competitors.
“If we don’t embrace AI, we will be slower than our rivals,” she said. “AI can super‑charge everything we do while we keep the creativity, innovation, and vision of our team.” Revenue-wise, roughly 80 % of MTG’s income now comes from the Playamp division, with the remaining 20 % generated by Playsimple. Redin expressed a desire to broaden both sides of the business. She cited the recent Snowprint acquisition and mused about finding “five more Snowprints around the world.” On the casual front, she noted that Playsimple is currently a single studio but still contributes a sizable share of earnings.
Looking ahead, Redin hinted at the possibility of adding a third “district” to the gaming village, perhaps built around shared marketing platforms or data capabilities. Despite the market’s maturity, Redin remains confident in the sector’s long‑term prospects. She pointed out that the top‑ten mobile games list changes little from year to year, underscoring the importance of evergreen IPs—games that retain relevance and revenue over many years. While MTG continues to invest in proven titles like Raid: Shadow Legends, the company also recognises the need for fresh pipelines.
Plarium, for instance, is preparing a new game for soft launch early next year. The broader industry context is sobering. Ilkka Paananen, head of Supercell, recently warned that Western mobile gaming is “coasting,” with only two of the 22 mobile games that have surpassed $1 billion in revenue since 2020 originating from the West. Even Supercell’s own incubation efforts have struggled, as illustrated by the shutdown of Squad Busters after its 2024 launch.
Redin acknowledges these challenges, noting that creating and scaling a hit game is difficult for any studio. Yet she argues that abandoning investment in new titles would erode the creative DNA that differentiates studios.
“You need a pipeline of games coming to market,” she said, adding that new titles are essential for retaining the passion and drive of development teams. In summary, MTG’s strategy under Redin’s leadership blends aggressive acquisition, thoughtful rebranding, selective technology standardisation, and AI‑enhanced production. The company aims to double its size within a few years, bolster its midcore and casual divisions, and possibly introduce a third district focused on shared capabilities.
While the mobile market may no longer deliver the hyper‑growth of earlier years, Redin believes steady single‑digit expansion is achievable by leaning on evergreen franchises and continuously feeding the pipeline with innovative new games.