In February of last year, the Swedish mobile powerhouse Modern Times Group (MTG) completed a $620 million purchase of Plarium, the studio behind the wildly popular hero‑collection game Raid: Shadow Legends. That deal, while already sizable, is only the opening move in a broader strategy laid out by MTG’s president and chief executive, Maria Redin. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Redin explained that the acquisition of Plarium is a stepping stone toward a second round of rapid expansion, with the ultimate goal of doubling the company’s overall size once more.
Redin said the target is to achieve this doubling within a three‑to‑five‑year horizon. The ambition is not new to MTG; the firm set a similar growth objective in 2021 and, according to Redin, succeeded in tripling its scale during that period. The mobile gaming market, which a few years ago was enjoying double‑digit growth, has now settled into a more mature, single‑digit expansion phase.
The once‑blue ocean of untapped users has turned a deep red, meaning that future growth will likely come from capturing market share from rivals or, more directly, by absorbing them through acquisitions. Acquiring studios is relatively straightforward; the real challenge lies in integrating them effectively. The industry is littered with cautionary tales of mergers that resulted in culture clashes, duplicated effort, and ultimately studio closures.
MTG, however, believes it has a clear roadmap for integration. Before buying Plarium, the group already owned a portfolio of mobile developers, including InnoGames (creator of Forge of Empires), Snowprint (Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus), Hutch (F1 Clash), Ninja Kiwi (Bloons TD 6), and Futureplay (Merge Gardens). These studios were organized into two “districts”: a Casual District for lighter, ad‑supported games, and a Midcore District for titles that sit between casual and hardcore, typically monetized through in‑app purchases (IAPs). The recent rebranding effort renamed the Casual District as Playsimple—after the India‑based studio behind WordTrip—and the Midcore District as Playamp.
Playsimple now houses free‑to‑play, ad‑driven titles, while Playamp contains the majority of MTG’s revenue‑generating IAP games. Redin emphasized that the rebranding is more than a cosmetic change; it is part of a larger vision to create a "gaming village" where employees feel a strong sense of belonging. Retaining talent and preserving the original founders and teams after an acquisition is a cornerstone of this approach, because the true value of a deal emerges when the acquired studio continues to innovate under its own leadership.
To support this village concept, MTG has embarked on a company‑wide standardisation of technology and tools. Redin noted that not every studio needs a bespoke tech stack; a common foundation can reduce duplication and accelerate development.
The push for standardisation began when she took the helm in 2020, but the scale required to roll it out fully only arrived with Plarium’s addition. While the idea of a unified engine has historically caused friction—EA’s forced adoption of Frostbite being a prime example—MTG is handling the two districts separately. Playsimple’s tech suite will serve as the baseline for future casual acquisitions, whereas Playamp will selectively adopt components of Plarium’s technology, after a thorough internal assessment of where shared tools make sense.
Key platforms from Plarium, such as the GoGame marketing system and a product‑detail‑page (PDP) data platform, are already being deployed across the MTG ecosystem, with additional features being built on top. Redin explained that the goal is to invest resources where they generate the highest return, leveraging the existing expertise of the group’s studios while boosting them with a more powerful tech suite. Artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI, is another pillar of MTG’s growth engine.
InnoGames, for example, has been using AI to generate content for its mobile title Sunrise Village and is exploring broader AI‑driven content creation. Redin said that AI is being woven into many parts of the production pipeline—A/B testing, graphics creation, quality assurance, and more.
Successful AI tools from individual studios are being incorporated into the shared Plarium tech suite, allowing rapid diffusion of best practices throughout the company. When asked whether AI will eventually replace human creativity, Redin was cautious. She believes that while AI can dramatically accelerate workflows and fill capacity gaps, the core creative spark still resides with people. "If we ignore AI, we will fall behind our competitors," she warned, "but we must keep the human element at the heart of game design." Financially, about 80 % of MTG’s revenue now comes from the Playamp division, with the remaining 20 % generated by Playsimple.
Redin expressed a desire to broaden the roster of studios, noting that the group would love to replicate the success of Snowprint in multiple regions. She also hinted at the possibility of adding a third district to the gaming village, likely centred around the company’s marketing and data capabilities, though details remain tentative. Despite the market’s maturity, Redin remains optimistic about the long‑term outlook. The top‑ten mobile games list changes very little each year, reinforcing MTG’s belief in evergreen IPs—games that can generate revenue for many years.
While Raid: Shadow Legends is expected to have a lengthy lifespan, MTG is also investing in new titles to keep the pipeline fresh. Plarium, for instance, is preparing to soft‑launch a new game early next year. The broader industry context is sobering. Supercell’s CEO Ilkka Paananen has warned that Western mobile developers are “coasting,” with only two of the 22 titles that have surpassed $1 billion in revenue since 2020 originating from the West.
Even Supercell’s own incubation efforts have struggled; the recent Squad Busters project was shut down after a brief launch. Redin acknowledged the difficulty of creating hit games but argued that a continuous flow of new projects is essential to maintain creative DNA and avoid stagnation. In summary, MTG’s strategy under Maria Redin is a blend of aggressive acquisition, thoughtful integration, unified technology, and AI‑enhanced production, all wrapped in a culture‑first approach that seeks to make each studio feel part of a larger, supportive village.
By doubling its size over the next few years, expanding both casual and midcore portfolios, and balancing evergreen franchises with fresh IPs, MTG aims to navigate a maturing market while still delivering engaging experiences to the three‑billion‑strong global mobile gaming audience.