In February of last 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, however, is only the opening act of a broader expansion plan, according to MTG's president and chief executive, Maria Redin. Redin told GamesIndustry.biz that the company set a bold vision after the Plarium acquisition: "We want to double our size again," she said, adding that organic growth will continue but will need to be supplemented by further purchases. The target is to achieve this scale within a three‑to‑five‑year window.
She noted that MTG had already pursued a similar ambition in 2021, when the group roughly tripled its revenue base. The mobile gaming sector, once characterized by double‑digit growth, has now settled into single‑digit expansion as the market matures.
What was once a blue ocean of untapped users has turned into a crowded, highly competitive arena where growth often means taking market share from rivals or absorbing them outright. While buying companies is relatively straightforward, the real challenge lies in integrating them successfully—a process that has derailed many firms in the past. MTG entered the Plarium deal already owning a portfolio of studios such as InnoGames (Forge of Empires), Snowprint (Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus), Hutch (F1 Clash), Ninja Kiwi (Bloons TD 6), and Futureplay (Merge Gardens).
These studios were previously grouped into two “districts”: a Casual District and a Midcore District, the latter covering games that sit between casual and hardcore experiences. The districts have now been rebranded as Playsimple and Playamp. Playsimple, named after the India‑based WordTrip studio, houses free‑to‑play, ad‑supported titles, while Playamp focuses on games that generate revenue primarily through in‑app purchases, which constitute the bulk of MTG’s earnings.
Redin says the rebranding is more than a cosmetic change; it reflects a cultural ambition to create "one of the leading gaming villages." The term "village" is intentional, meant to foster a sense of belonging among developers, artists, and engineers. Retaining talent after acquisitions is a top priority, because the true value of a deal emerges when the original founders and teams stay on board and continue to scale their products.
"Gaming is the perfect marriage of creativity and data‑driven decision‑making," Redin explained. "People are our biggest asset, but we must also provide an environment where they can thrive.
When we acquire a studio we expect the founders and their teams to remain, because that is when the exciting part of the story begins. The only way to ensure they stay is to build a workplace they enjoy." A major part of the post‑Plarium integration has been the standardisation of technology and tools across the MTG ecosystem. Redin, who became CEO in 2020, has long advocated for a unified tech stack, but she says the scale required to roll it out effectively only materialised after Plarium joined the group.
The company is careful not to repeat the pitfalls seen at other publishers—such as Electronic Arts’ forced adoption of the Frostbite engine, which caused major delays for titles like Mass Effect. To that end, MTG treats the two districts separately. Playsimple’s tech foundation will serve future casual acquisitions, while Playamp will adopt selected components of Plarium’s technology suite.
Redin emphasized that the rollout is selective, based on thorough internal assessments that identify where shared tools add value and where they would hinder progress. Plarium’s GoGame marketing platform and product‑detail‑page data system are already being used across the group, with MTG adding new features to enhance functionality. The goal is to maximise return on investment by giving studios a robust, shared infrastructure that accelerates development without sacrificing creative freedom. Artificial intelligence is another lever in MTG’s growth strategy.
InnoGames, for example, has been using generative AI to produce content for its mobile title Sunrise Village and plans to expand AI‑driven creation across its portfolio. Redin observes that AI is becoming embedded in many stages of game production—from A/B testing and graphics generation to quality assurance and analytics. Successful AI tools piloted in individual studios are being incorporated into the broader Plarium tech suite, allowing rapid dissemination of best practices. When asked whether AI could eventually replace human creators, Redin cautioned against such a simplistic view.
"Our talent’s creativity is still something AI cannot replicate," she said. "But if we ignore AI, we risk falling behind competitors. The technology should augment, not replace, the imagination and vision of our teams." Revenue-wise, roughly 80 % of MTG’s income now comes from the Playamp division, with the remaining 20 % generated by Playsimple.
Redin is eager to broaden both sides of the business. She cited Snowprint as a model—"if we could find five more Snowprints around the world, that would be fantastic"—and hinted at the possibility of adding a third district that would leverage the group’s core capabilities in marketing and data analytics. Despite the market’s maturity, Redin believes evergreen IPs remain essential.
The top‑ten mobile games list changes little from year to year, and titles like Raid: Shadow Legends still have many years of revenue potential. Nevertheless, she stresses the importance of a fresh pipeline: "Investing in new games keeps the creative DNA alive and fuels long‑term growth." The broader industry context is sobering. Western mobile developers have struggled to launch new billion‑dollar hits, with only two out of 22 such titles since 2020 originating from the West. Supercell’s own attempts at incubating fresh concepts, such as the short‑lived Squad Busters, have shown how difficult it is to break through.
Redin acknowledges these challenges but remains optimistic. With three billion gamers worldwide, the market is still compelling, even if hyper‑growth has given way to modest single‑digit expansion.
She concludes that sustained growth will require a dual approach: nurturing strong evergreen franchises while continuously delivering innovative new experiences to players.