In February of the previous year, Sweden’s mobile powerhouse Modern Times Group (MTG) completed a $620 million purchase of Plarium, the developer behind the blockbuster hero‑collection title Raid: Shadow Legends. That transaction, however, appears to be just the opening move in a much larger strategic game. "Last year we set a clear vision: after bringing Plarium into the fold we aim to double our size again," MTG’s president and chief executive officer Maria Redin told GamesIndustry.biz. "We will continue to nurture organic growth, but to reach that goal we must pursue further acquisitions." Redin’s timetable is bold: she targets a two‑to‑five‑year window to achieve the doubling.
The Swedish group already has a track record of rapid expansion – Redin notes that the company set a similar ambition in 2021 and ended up tripling its scale. A few years ago the mobile market was expanding at double‑digit rates, but growth has now settled into single‑digit territory, reflecting a maturing sector. What was once a vast, blue‑ocean landscape has turned a deep red, meaning that future expansion will largely depend on capturing rivals’ market share or absorbing them outright. Acquiring studios is the easy part; the real challenge lies in integrating them smoothly.
The gaming industry is littered with cautionary tales of poorly managed mergers that end in studio closures. MTG, however, believes it has a formula for success.
Even before the Plarium deal, 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”: a Casual District and a Midcore District – the latter covering games that sit between pure casual and hardcore experiences. These districts have now been renamed Playsimple and Playamp. Playsimple, named after the India‑based WordTrip studio, houses free‑to‑play, ad‑supported titles, while Playamp contains the majority of MTG’s portfolio, focusing on games that generate revenue through in‑app purchases (IAPs).
The rebranding is more than cosmetic. Redin says the ambition is to create "one of the leading gaming villages," a name chosen to foster a sense of community and belonging. The emphasis is on retaining talent and ensuring smooth cultural integration, which is crucial for a company that has been on an acquisition spree.
"Gaming is the perfect marriage of creativity and data‑driven decision‑making," Redin explains. "People are our greatest asset, but we must also provide an environment where they can thrive.
When we acquire a studio we want the founders and their teams to stay on board, because that is when the real story begins and the business can scale. The only way to make that happen is to build a workplace they enjoy." Behind the scenes, MTG has been standardising technology and tools across its network. Redin notes that not every studio needs a bespoke tech stack; a unified platform can drive efficiency.
This standardisation effort began when she took the helm in 2020, but the scale required to roll it out fully only materialised after Plarium joined. The industry has seen the downside of forced tech uniformity – EA’s attempt to mandate the Frostbite engine across all its studios caused significant friction, especially for teams working on titles like Mass Effect. Redin is careful to differentiate the needs of Playsimple and Playamp, treating each division’s tech requirements separately.
"Playsimple’s stack will become the foundation for any future casual studio we bring in," she says. "For the midcore side we have selected components of Plarium’s tech suite to use group‑wide, but we are rolling them out selectively to ensure the end result benefits every studio.
We performed a thorough internal assessment to decide where collaboration makes sense and where it does not." Plarium’s GoGame marketing platform and its product‑detail‑page (PDP) data system are already being leveraged across MTG, with additional features being added to enhance functionality. The goal is to amplify the output of all studios. "We want to invest where we get the biggest bang for our buck," Redin adds. "We have fantastic game makers across the group, and with Playamp we aim to supercharge them with a tech suite that elevates what they already do." Generative AI is another pillar of MTG’s strategy.
InnoGames, for example, has been using AI‑generated 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 production pipelines throughout the mobile sector.
"Most industry peers are having the same conversations about embracing new technology," she says. "Generative AI is far more powerful than any tool we’ve had before.
The challenge is finding the right balance – where to adjust workflows, where to keep them intact, and where AI can add the most value. Ultimately, it’s about using technology to make our games more relevant to players and, ideally, to bring new titles to market faster and better." MTG’s approach is to layer AI onto existing tools for tasks such as A/B testing, graphics generation, quality assurance, and more. Successful AI solutions from individual studios are being folded into the Plarium tech suite for broader use.
"We allow our studios to experiment within the bounds of an overarching AI framework," Redin explains. "When a team discovers something that works exceptionally well, we can quickly roll it out across the company." When asked whether AI has become a prerequisite for competing in the fast‑moving mobile arena, Redin cautions against hyperbole.
"I often get asked if gaming AI will eventually replace human creators. I don’t think so.
Creativity remains a uniquely human trait. However, ignoring AI would leave us trailing behind competitors. Embracing it lets us accelerate while preserving the creative vision of our teams." She points to AI’s ability to fill capacity gaps – from coding to art creation to advanced logic – as a way to boost productivity without sacrificing originality. "AI is a supercharger, not a replacement," she says.
Revenue-wise, about 80 % of MTG’s earnings now come from the Playamp division, with the remaining 20 % generated by the casual side, which currently consists of a single studio – Playsimple. Redin is eager to broaden both sides of the business. "We acquired Snowprint a few years ago; finding five more studios like Snowprint would be fantastic.
On the casual front we want more scale as well," she notes. Looking ahead, Redin hints at the possibility of adding a third district to the gaming village, though its exact focus is still under discussion.
It would likely revolve around core capabilities such as marketing platforms or data analytics. Despite the market’s maturity, the top‑ten mobile games list changes little year over year.
"Our thesis from day one has been to back evergreen IPs," Redin says. "Raid has many years ahead of it, but we also need a pipeline of new games." Creating fresh hits is increasingly difficult. Ilkka Paananen of Supercell warned that the western mobile market is "coasting," with only two of the 22 billion‑dollar titles since 2020 originating in the West.
Supercell’s own incubation efforts have struggled, exemplified by the recent shutdown of Squad Busters. Redin acknowledges the challenge: "It’s hard to launch a successful game and scale it.
Yet abandoning new‑game investment would erode the creative DNA of our studios. Keeping that spark alive is essential." In the broader context of a stabilising market, Redin remains optimistic about growth. "We have three billion gamers worldwide – it’s a compelling market.
Yes, we compete for attention with streaming services and social media, but I still believe there is room to grow. The hyper‑growth era is over; we now see low‑single‑digit to mid‑single‑digit growth. To exceed that, we must double‑down on strong evergreen IPs while also bringing fresh titles to market."