In February of the previous year, Sweden’s mobile entertainment leader Modern Times Group (MTG) closed a $620 million deal to purchase Plarium, the developer behind the blockbuster hero‑collection title Raid: Shadow Legends. That transaction, 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 shortly after the Plarium acquisition, is to double its 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 she cites is aggressive: the goal is to achieve this scale increase within roughly three to five years.
Redin notes that MTG has already proven capable of rapid expansion, having tripled its size after a similar ambition was declared in 2021. The mobile gaming market, once characterized by double‑digit growth rates, has now settled into a single‑digit expansion phase as the sector matures.
What was once a blue‑ocean landscape has turned decidedly red, meaning that future growth will largely come from capturing market share from competitors or, more directly, by absorbing them through acquisition. While buying studios is relatively straightforward, the real challenge lies in integrating those entities without disrupting their creative output.
The industry is littered with cautionary tales of poorly managed mergers that resulted in studio closures and talent loss. MTG entered the recent acquisition wave already owning a portfolio of mobile studios, including InnoGames (creator of Forge of Empires), Snowprint (developer of Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus), Hutch (behind F1 Clash), Ninja Kiwi (known for Bloons TD 6), and Futureplay (maker of Merge Gardens).
Historically, these studios were grouped into two divisions: the Casual District and the Midcore District—the latter covering games that sit between pure casual experiences and hardcore titles. As part of a rebranding effort, these districts have been renamed Playsimple and Playamp, respectively. Playsimple, named after the Indian studio that built WordTrip, now houses free‑to‑play, ad‑supported games, while Playamp focuses on titles that generate revenue primarily through in‑app purchases, which constitute the bulk of MTG’s earnings.
Beyond a cosmetic name change, Redin emphasizes that the reorganization is meant to forge "one of the leading gaming villages." The terminology is deliberately communal, aiming to foster a sense of belonging among employees and to improve retention—a critical factor when a company is rapidly adding new studios. "I always say gaming is the best marriage between creativity and data‑driven decisions.
People are definitely one of our biggest assets, but you also need to create an environment where they can thrive," Redin said. She added that MTG’s acquisition strategy is predicated on keeping founding teams intact after a purchase, because the real growth story begins once those teams continue to operate under the MTG umbrella.
A major internal initiative accompanying the acquisitions is the standardisation of technology and tools across the group. Redin notes that not every studio needs a bespoke tech stack; instead, MTG aims to deploy shared platforms where feasible.
This push for uniformity began when she took the helm in 2020, but the scale required to roll it out effectively only materialised after Plarium joined the family. The company is careful to differentiate between the needs of the Playsimple and Playamp divisions, recognising that casual, ad‑driven games demand different infrastructure than midcore, purchase‑driven titles.
"Playsimple and their tech stack will become the foundation for future companies we onboard in the Casual District," Redin explained. "For Midcore, we have selected portions of the Plarium tech suite to use group‑wide, but we are rolling it out selectively to ensure the end result benefits all companies." An internal audit identified where collaborative tool sharing makes sense and where it does not, preventing unnecessary homogenisation that could stifle creativity.
Two of Plarium’s platforms—GoGame, a marketing automation suite, and a product‑detail‑page (PDP) data platform—are now being leveraged across MTG. The company is also extending these tools with additional features to boost studio productivity. Redin says the goal is to allocate resources where they generate the highest return on investment, stating, "We have some amazing game makers across the group. With Playamp we want to supercharge that with a tech suite they can leverage, elevating everything that was already done." Artificial intelligence is another pillar of MTG’s modernization strategy.
Generative AI, in particular, is reshaping content creation across the mobile sector. InnoGames, for example, has been using AI to generate all of the assets for its Sunrise Village game and plans to broaden AI‑driven production throughout its pipeline. Redin observes that this trend is industry‑wide: "Most parties I speak to are having similar discussions on how we are embracing new technology in our production chain.
Generative AI is significantly more powerful than any other tool we’ve had before." The company is not looking to replace human designers with AI, but rather to augment existing workflows. AI is being layered onto current tools for tasks such as A/B testing, graphic generation, quality assurance, and analytics.
Successful AI solutions from individual studios are being incorporated into the broader Plarium tech suite, allowing rapid dissemination of best practices. Redin stresses a balanced approach: "We need to allow our different studios to try different things, as long as they fit 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 roll it out on a broader scale." When asked whether AI has become indispensable for competing in the fast‑moving mobile market, Redin cautioned against fatalism.
"I often get the question, is gaming AI going to be able to do everything you do? I don’t think so. What’s important is that our talent has amazing creativity, which isn’t yet within AI.
However, if we don’t embrace AI we will be slower than our competitors. AI can super‑charge everything we do while we keep the creativity, innovation, and vision of our team." Financially, about 80 % of MTG’s revenue now stems from the Playamp division, with the remaining 20 % generated by Playsimple.
Redin is eager to broaden both sides of the portfolio. She cited Snowprint as an example, saying, "We bought Snowprint a couple of years back, and if we could find five more Snowprints around the world, that would be fantastic." On the casual front, the division currently consists of a single studio—Playsimple—but still contributes a significant share of earnings. Redin hinted at the possibility of adding a third district to the "gaming village," though she did not elaborate on its exact focus, noting that any new segment would likely build on existing marketing or data capabilities.
Despite the expansion plans, Redin acknowledges that the mobile top‑ten charts have become relatively static, with evergreen titles retaining their dominance year after year. "Our thesis from day one has been that we believe in evergreen IPs," she said, emphasizing that long‑lived games like Raid: Shadow Legends still have many profitable years ahead. Nevertheless, she stressed the importance of maintaining a pipeline of new games to keep the creative engine humming.
"If we stop investing in new games, we lose a part of the DNA of the studios. That creativity, passion, and drive are essential." The broader industry context is sobering. Supercell’s Ilkka Paananen warned that Western mobile developers are "coasting," noting that only two of the 22 mobile titles surpassing $1 billion in revenue since 2020 originated in the West.
Even Supercell’s own incubation efforts have struggled, with projects like Squad Busters being shuttered after a brief launch. Redin concurs that launching and scaling a hit game is increasingly difficult, but she remains optimistic about the market’s overall potential.
"We have three billion gamers worldwide; it is a compelling market. Yes, we compete for attention with streaming platforms and social media, but I still believe there is growth to be had," she said. Looking ahead, Redin expects growth rates to settle into low‑ to mid‑single‑digit percentages rather than the explosive double‑digit surges of the past. To exceed that baseline, MTG plans to double down on its strong evergreen IPs while simultaneously nurturing fresh titles.
She disclosed that Plarium is preparing a new game for a soft launch early next year, illustrating the company’s commitment to balancing legacy successes with innovative ventures. In summary, MTG’s roadmap under Maria Redin combines aggressive acquisition, thoughtful rebranding, technology standardisation, and strategic AI integration—all aimed at building a cohesive "gaming village" that can scale efficiently while preserving the creative spark that fuels successful mobile games.
The ambition to double the company’s size within a few years hinges on these intertwined strategies, and the next few years will reveal whether the Swedish powerhouse can turn this bold vision into reality.