In February of the previous year, Sweden’s mobile entertainment titan Modern Times Group (MTG) completed a $620 million acquisition of Plarium, the studio behind the blockbuster hero‑collecting title Raid: Shadow Legends. According to Maria Redin, MTG’s president and chief executive officer, that deal was only the opening move in a far larger plan. Redin told GamesIndustry.biz that the company’s vision, set out after the Plarium purchase, is to double MTG’s overall size once again. “We set out the vision last year that post‑acquisition of Plarium we want to double yet again in size,” she explained.
“And yes, we want to fuel and continue to drive organic growth, but in order to do that, we will need to do more acquisitions.” The timeline for this ambition is bold: Redin aims to achieve the doubling within roughly three to five years. She noted that MTG has already demonstrated the capacity to grow quickly, pointing out that the firm pursued a similar target in 2021 and, in her words, “I think we tripled.” The mobile gaming market, which a few years ago was expanding at double‑digit rates, has now settled into single‑digit growth, reflecting a maturing industry. What was once a blue‑ocean of untapped users has become a crowded, highly competitive arena where expansion often means capturing market share from rivals or outright acquiring them.
Acquiring studios is the easier half of the equation; the real challenge lies in integrating them smoothly. The industry is littered with cautionary tales of poorly managed mergers that resulted in studio closures.
MTG, however, believes it has a systematic approach to avoid those pitfalls. Before buying Plarium, MTG 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 grouped into two “districts”: the Casual District and the Midcore District, the latter covering games that sit between pure casual and hardcore experiences. Following the Plarium deal, MTG rebranded these districts as Playsimple and Playamp.
Playsimple—named after the India‑based studio behind WordTrip—houses free‑to‑play, ad‑supported titles, while Playamp contains the majority of MTG’s portfolio, which relies on in‑app purchases (IAPs). The renaming is more than cosmetic; it reflects a broader cultural shift toward building what Redin calls “one of the leading gaming villages.” She emphasizes that the name is intended to foster a sense of belonging among employees, a crucial factor when a company is rapidly absorbing new teams. Redin stresses that people are MTG’s greatest asset. “Gaming is the best marriage between creativity and data‑driven decisions.
So people are for sure one of our biggest assets, but then you also need to make sure you create an environment for them to thrive in,” she said. The goal is to keep founders and their teams on board after an acquisition, because the real growth story begins once those teams are integrated and empowered. A key part of the integration strategy has been the standardisation of technology and tools across the group. Redin notes that not every studio needs a bespoke tech stack; instead, MTG is rolling out shared platforms where it makes sense.
The push for standardisation began when she became CEO in 2020, but the scale required to implement it fully only materialised after Plarium joined the fold. She acknowledges the risks, citing Electronic Arts’ troubled attempt to force all its studios onto the Frostbite engine as a cautionary example. To avoid similar missteps, MTG treats the needs of Playsimple and Playamp separately.
“Playsimple and their tech stack is going to be the foundation for future companies we onboard in the Casual District,” Redin explained. “For Midcore, we actually have chosen some of the Plarium tech suite to use group‑wide, but we’re doing the rollout in a very selective way to make sure the end game is better for all the companies.” Two of Plarium’s internal platforms—the GoGame marketing system and a product‑detail‑page (PDP) data platform—are already being deployed across MTG, with additional features being added to enhance functionality. Redin says the aim is to maximise impact: “We want to make sure that we put our efforts where we get the biggest bang for our buck.” By providing a robust tech suite to Playamp studios, MTG hopes to amplify the work of its already strong game‑making teams. Artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI, is another pillar of MTG’s future.
InnoGames, one of the group’s flagship studios, has been using AI‑generated assets for its mobile title Sunrise Village and plans to broaden AI‑driven content creation across its portfolio. Redin observes that AI is becoming embedded in many production pipelines throughout the mobile sector.
“I would say for most parties I speak to in the industry, we are all having similar discussions on how we are embracing new technology in our production chain,” she said, adding that generative AI is “significantly more powerful than any other tool that we got access to before.” The company’s AI strategy focuses on layering intelligent tools onto existing workflows—enhancing A/B testing, graphics creation, quality assurance, and more. Successful AI solutions from individual studios are being incorporated into the broader Plarium tech suite, allowing rapid dissemination of best practices. Redin stresses the importance of flexibility: “We need to allow our different studios to try different things, as long as it fits into our overarching AI framework on the dos and don’ts. Then we share the learnings, and when one company develops something really good, we make sure we can very quickly roll that out on a broader scale.” When asked whether AI has become indispensable in today’s hyper‑competitive mobile market, Redin offered a measured view.
She does not believe AI will ever replace human creativity, but she warns that ignoring it would leave MTG lagging behind rivals. “If we don’t embrace AI, we are going to be slower than what our competitors are. We keep the creativity, innovation, and vision of our team, but we can actually leverage completely new levels of technology next to it,” she said. Financially, about 80 % of MTG’s revenue now comes from the Playamp division, with the remaining 20 % generated by the newly formed Playsimple studio.
Redin is eager to expand both sides. She cites the recent acquisition of Snowprint and expresses interest in adding “five more Snowprints around the world.” On the casual side, she hopes to increase scale, noting that Playsimple is currently the sole studio in that district but still contributes a sizable share of earnings.
Looking ahead, Redin hints at the possibility of a third district within the gaming village, though its exact focus is still under discussion. It would likely revolve around the core capabilities MTG already possesses—marketing platforms and data analytics—providing another avenue for growth.
Despite the strategic emphasis on acquisitions and technology, Redin acknowledges that the mobile top‑ten charts have remained remarkably stable. “Every year we do the same analysis, and you realise that the top games remain very consistent,” she observed.
Consequently, MTG’s long‑term thesis remains anchored in evergreen IPs—games that generate revenue for years after launch. While Raid: Shadow Legends is expected to continue delivering strong returns, Redin stresses the necessity of a fresh pipeline.
“We need to continue to have a pipeline of games coming to the market,” she said, noting that Plarium has a new title slated for a soft launch early next year. Industry peers such as Supercell’s Ilkka Paananen have warned that Western mobile gaming is “coasting,” with only two of the 22 titles surpassing $1 billion in revenue since 2020 originating from the West.
Even Supercell’s own incubation efforts have struggled, as illustrated by the recent shutdown of Squad Busters. Redin concedes that creating and scaling a hit game is difficult, but she believes that investing in new titles is essential to preserving the creative DNA of each studio. “If we don’t invest in new games, we take away a little bit of the DNA of the different studios. That is how you retain creativity, passion, and drive,” she said.
In the broader context of a maturing market, Redin remains optimistic about growth potential. With roughly three billion gamers worldwide, she sees a compelling opportunity, even as mobile entertainment competes for attention with streaming services and social media.
“We won’t see the hyper‑growth of the past,” she cautioned, “but we do see low‑single‑digit to mid‑single‑digit growth. To exceed that, you need to double‑down on evergreen IPs while also bringing fresh games to market.”