In February of the previous year, Sweden’s mobile powerhouse Modern Times Group (MTG) completed a $620 million purchase of Plarium, the studio behind the blockbuster hero‑collection title Raid: Shadow Legends. That transaction, while already massive, is only the opening move in what MTG’s chief executive, Maria Redin, describes as an ambitious expansion agenda.
Redin told GamesIndustry.biz that the company set a clear vision after the Plarium deal: “Post‑acquisition we want to double our size again.” She added that organic growth will continue to be a priority, but achieving the next‑level scale will require further acquisitions. The timeline she cites is aggressive—aiming to double the business within roughly three to five years. MTG is not new to bold targets; the firm announced a similar ambition in 2021 and, according to Redin, succeeded in tripling its size shortly thereafter. The mobile gaming landscape has changed dramatically in recent years.
A few years ago the sector was expanding at double‑digit rates, but today growth has settled into the single‑digit range, reflecting a market that is maturing quickly. What once resembled a blue ocean of untapped users now looks more like a crowded red sea, where any additional growth typically means taking market share from competitors or absorbing them outright. 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 mergers that resulted in studio closures because of cultural clashes or technical incompatibilities. MTG, however, believes it has a roadmap to avoid those pitfalls.
Before buying Plarium, MTG already owned a portfolio of mobile developers, including InnoGames (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. Following the Plarium acquisition, the districts were rebranded as Playsimple and Playamp. Playsimple, named after the Indian studio behind WordTrip, now houses free‑to‑play, ad‑supported titles, while Playamp contains the bulk of MTG’s portfolio, which relies on in‑app purchases.
Redin says the rebranding is more than a cosmetic change; it reflects a broader ambition to build “one of the leading gaming villages.” The term “village” is deliberately chosen to evoke a sense of community and belonging, which she believes will aid employee retention and foster smoother integration of newly acquired teams. “People are one of our biggest assets,” she explained, “and we must create an environment where they can thrive. We keep the founders and their teams after an acquisition because the real story begins then, as we scale the businesses together.” A key component of the integration plan is 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 Plarium deal gave the group the scale needed to implement the vision fully. She is careful to point out that the tech needs of Playsimple differ dramatically from those of Playamp, so the two divisions are being equipped with separate, appropriate toolsets. For the Midcore side, MTG has selected parts of Plarium’s technology suite as a foundation, deploying it selectively after a thorough internal review to ensure it adds value for each studio. Plarium’s GoGame marketing platform and product‑detail‑page (PDP) data system are already being used across the group, with additional features being added to enhance functionality.
Redin emphasises that the goal is to concentrate resources where they deliver the greatest return, “supercharging” the existing talent pool with a robust, shared tech suite. Generative AI is another pillar of MTG’s modernization effort. InnoGames, for example, has been using AI‑generated content for its mobile title Sunrise Village and is exploring broader AI integration across its portfolio.
Redin observes that AI is becoming embedded in many production pipelines throughout the mobile sector. She describes AI as “significantly more powerful than any tool we’ve had before,” but stresses the need for balance: “We must find where to adjust workflows and where to keep them unchanged, always aiming to make our games more relevant and to bring new titles to market faster and better.” The company is adding AI layers to existing processes such as A/B testing, graphics creation, and quality assurance. Successful AI solutions from individual studios are being folded into the Plarium‑derived tech suite, allowing rapid dissemination of best practices throughout MTG. Redin cautions against over‑reliance on AI, noting that human creativity remains essential and cannot yet be fully replicated by machines.
Nevertheless, she argues that without embracing AI, MTG would fall behind rivals that are already leveraging the technology to accelerate development. Revenue-wise, about 80 % now comes from the Playamp division, with the casual Playsimple side contributing roughly 20 %.
Redin is eager to broaden both divisions. She mentions that Snowprint was acquired a few years ago and that finding “five more Snowprints” worldwide would be ideal. On the casual front, she would like to add scale, even though Playsimple currently consists of a single studio.
Looking ahead, Redin hints at the possibility of a third “district” that would build on the group’s core capabilities—whether that means extending marketing platforms, data analytics, or another strategic focus is still under discussion. When asked about the future of mobile games, Redin observes that the top‑ten charts have remained remarkably stable, reinforcing MTG’s long‑standing belief in evergreen IPs. While Raid: Shadow Legends still has many years of revenue potential, the company also recognises the necessity of a fresh pipeline.
Plarium is preparing a new title for soft launch early next year, and Redin stresses that investing in new games preserves the creative DNA of each studio. The broader market context is less rosy than the hyper‑growth days of a few years ago. Industry figures show that only two of the 22 mobile games that have topped $1 billion in revenue since 2020 originated in the West, and even giants like Supercell have struggled to launch successful new titles recently.
Redin acknowledges these challenges but remains optimistic: “We have three billion gamers worldwide, so the market is still compelling. Growth may be modest—low to mid single‑digit—but if we continue to nurture strong evergreen franchises while also bringing fresh experiences to players, we can still expand.” In summary, MTG’s strategy under Maria Redin combines aggressive acquisition, thoughtful integration through shared technology and community‑building, and a balanced embrace of AI to boost efficiency. By bolstering its core midcore portfolio, expanding the casual side, and maintaining a pipeline of new titles, the Swedish group aims to double its size within the next few years while navigating a mature, highly competitive mobile gaming environment.