In February of last year, the Swedish mobile entertainment conglomerate Modern Times Group (MTG) completed a $620 million purchase of Plarium, the developer behind the blockbuster hero‑collection title Raid: Shadow Legends. That deal, while already massive, appears to be only the opening move in a broader expansion playbook, according to MTG’s president and chief executive, Maria Redin.
Redin told GamesIndustry.biz that the company’s ambition, set after the Plarium acquisition, is to double its overall size once more. "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 she cited is aggressive: roughly three to five years to achieve the doubling. Redin noted that MTG has already demonstrated the capacity to meet bold targets, recalling a 2021 goal that resulted in the firm tripling its scale.
The mobile gaming market, once characterized by double‑digit growth, has now settled into a single‑digit expansion phase, reflecting a maturing industry. What used to be a blue‑ocean of untapped users has turned a deep red, meaning that future growth will likely come from capturing market share from competitors or, more directly, by absorbing them through acquisitions. While buying studios is relatively straightforward, the real challenge lies in integrating those companies without disrupting their creative engines. The industry is littered with cautionary tales of poorly managed mergers that culminated in studio closures.
MTG entered the Plarium deal already owning a portfolio of mobile studios, including InnoGames (known for Forge of Empires), Snowprint (creator of Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus), Hutch (developer of F1 Clash), Ninja Kiwi (behind Bloons TD 6), and Futureplay (makers of Merge Gardens). Historically these studios were grouped into two “districts”: a Casual District and a Midcore District—the latter covering games that sit between casual and hardcore experiences. Following the acquisition, MTG rebranded these divisions as Playsimple and Playamp respectively.
Playsimple, named after the India‑based studio behind WordTrip, now houses free‑to‑play, ad‑supported titles, while Playamp focuses on games that generate revenue primarily through in‑app purchases, a segment that currently accounts for about 80 % of MTG’s total income. Beyond a simple name change, Redin emphasized that the rebranding is part of a larger cultural initiative to create what she calls "one of the leading gaming villages." The terminology is intentional: it aims to foster a sense of community and belonging among employees, a crucial factor when a company is rapidly expanding through acquisitions. "I always say gaming is the best marriage between creativity and data‑driven decisions. People are one of our biggest assets, but you also need to create an environment where they can thrive," Redin said.
She stressed that MTG’s acquisition strategy includes a commitment to retain founders and core teams post‑deal, believing that the real growth story begins once those teams stay on board and continue scaling their businesses. A major component of the integration effort has been the standardisation of technology and tools across the group.
Redin noted that not every studio needs a bespoke tech stack; a unified platform can generate efficiencies and accelerate development. This standardisation agenda has been on the agenda since she became CEO in 2020, but the scale achieved after adding Plarium finally made it feasible to roll out a cohesive tech vision.
However, Redin is careful to differentiate the needs of Playsimple and Playamp. "Playsimple’s tech stack will become the foundation for future casual‑district companies, while for Midcore we have selected parts of the Plarium suite to deploy group‑wide, but in a very selective way," she explained. The company conducted an internal audit to determine where shared tools make sense and where bespoke solutions remain necessary. Plarium’s GoGame marketing platform and product‑detail‑page (PDP) data system have already been adopted across MTG, with additional features being built to enhance functionality.
Redin believes that these shared services will raise the overall output of all studios, allowing them to focus on creative work while leveraging a common infrastructure for analytics, user acquisition, and monetisation. Artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI, is another pillar of MTG’s future roadmap.
InnoGames, for example, has been using AI‑generated assets for its mobile title Sunrise Village and plans to expand AI‑driven content creation across its portfolio. Redin described AI as a "significantly more powerful" tool than anything the industry has previously accessed, and she outlined a pragmatic approach: integrate AI layers into existing pipelines for tasks such as A/B testing, graphics creation, quality assurance, and data analysis.
Successful AI solutions from individual studios are being packaged into the broader Plarium tech suite and rolled out company‑wide, with the caveat that each studio must operate within an overarching AI governance framework. When asked whether AI could eventually replace human creativity, Redin was cautious.
She acknowledged the transformative potential of AI but insisted that creative talent remains irreplaceable. "If we don’t embrace AI, we will fall behind our competitors," she warned, adding that AI should be seen as a catalyst that amplifies human ingenuity rather than a substitute for it. She cited examples such as AI‑assisted coding, art generation, and advanced logic as areas where the technology can fill capacity gaps and accelerate production timelines.
Looking ahead, Redin highlighted the revenue split between the two districts: roughly 80 % stems from Playamp and 20 % from Playsimple. She expressed a desire to broaden both sides, noting that MTG acquired Snowprint a few years ago and would welcome additional studios with similar capabilities.
While Playsimple currently consists of a single studio, Redin hinted at the possibility of adding a third "district" to the gaming village, potentially built around core competencies like marketing platforms or data analytics. Despite the market’s maturity, Redin remains optimistic about growth prospects. She pointed out that the mobile top‑ten charts have remained remarkably stable, reinforcing MTG’s long‑standing belief in evergreen intellectual properties.
Nevertheless, she stressed that a pipeline of new games is essential to keep the portfolio fresh and retain creative DNA across studios. Plarium, for instance, is preparing to soft‑launch a new title early next year, illustrating the company’s commitment to nurturing fresh IP while continuing to extract value from established hits like Raid. Industry observers, such as Supercell’s Ilkka Paananen, have warned that the western mobile sector is "coasting," with only a handful of new titles breaking the $1 billion revenue barrier since 2020.
Redin acknowledged the difficulty of launching successful new games but argued that without fresh titles, studios risk losing the innovative spark that drives long‑term success. She believes that balanced investment—bolstering evergreen franchises while seeding new experiences—offers the best path forward in a market that now delivers low‑single‑digit to mid‑single‑digit growth.
In summary, MTG’s strategy under Maria Redin’s leadership blends aggressive acquisition, thoughtful integration, technology standardisation, and AI‑enhanced development to pursue a bold goal: doubling the company’s size within a few years while maintaining a vibrant, collaborative culture. By fostering a "gaming village" where talent feels valued and equipped with shared tools, MTG aims to stay competitive in a crowded mobile landscape, continue delivering high‑revenue midcore titles, and nurture the next generation of evergreen hits.