Maria Redin of MTG Discusses Rebranding, the Raid: Shadow Legends Acquisition, and Plans to Double Company Size

In February of last 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 deal, however, is only the opening move in what MTG’s president and chief executive, Maria Redin, describes as a much larger growth playbook. Redin told GamesIndustry.biz that the company set a bold vision after the Plarium acquisition: to double its overall size once more. “We established the goal last year that, following the Plarium deal, we want to double again,” she said.

“We’ll keep driving organic growth, but to do that we’ll need to make additional acquisitions.” The timeline is aggressive. Redin estimates the doubling could be achieved within three to five years. She noted that MTG previously pursued a similar ambition in 2021, during which the group tripled its scale.

The mobile sector, which a few years ago was expanding at double‑digit rates, has now settled into single‑digit growth, signalling a maturing market. What was once a blue‑ocean of untapped users has turned decidedly red, meaning future expansion will likely involve taking market share from rivals or absorbing them entirely.

Acquiring studios is the easy part; integrating them is notoriously difficult. The games industry is littered with cautionary tales of failed integrations that led to studio closures. MTG, however, believes it has a clear roadmap.

Before buying Plarium, the group already owned a portfolio of mobile studios, including InnoGames (Forge of Empires), Snowprint (Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus), Hutch (F1 Clash), Ninja Kiwi (Bloons TD 6) and Futureplay (Merge Gardens). These entities were split into two “districts”: the Casual District and the Midcore District, the latter covering games that sit between casual and hardcore experiences. These districts have recently been rebranded as Playsimple and Playamp. Playsimple, named after the India‑based WordTrip studio, houses free‑to‑play, ad‑supported titles.

Playamp contains the majority of MTG’s portfolio, focusing on games that generate revenue primarily through in‑app purchases (IAPs). The renaming is more than cosmetic; Redin says the aim is to create “one of the leading gaming villages.” The term “village” is intentional, meant to foster a sense of belonging and encourage employee retention—a critical factor when a company is rapidly adding new studios. "Gaming is the perfect marriage of creativity and data‑driven decision‑making," Redin explained. "Our people are our greatest asset, but we must also build an environment where they can thrive.

When we acquire a studio, we want the founders and teams to stay on board because that’s when the real story begins and the business can scale. The only way to keep them is to make sure they enjoy the environment we create." Behind the scenes, MTG has been standardising technology and tools across its portfolio.

Redin notes that this effort began when she became CEO in 2020, but the scale required to roll it out fully only materialised after Plarium joined. The company is careful not to repeat the missteps of other giants; for example, Electronic Arts’ push to force all studios onto the Frostbite engine caused significant friction.

MTG recognises that the tech stack needed for Playsimple differs markedly from that required for Playamp, and it is treating the two divisions separately. "Playsimple’s tech foundation will become the template for future casual acquisitions," Redin said. "For Midcore, we’ve selected parts of Plarium’s technology suite to deploy group‑wide, but we’re doing it selectively to ensure the end result benefits every studio.

We conducted a thorough internal assessment to decide where collaboration makes sense and where it doesn’t." Plarium’s GoGame marketing platform and product‑detail‑page (PDP) data system are already being used across MTG, and the company is adding new features to enhance them. Redin believes these improvements will raise the overall output of all studios. "We want to focus our efforts where we get the biggest bang for our buck," she said. "We have fantastic game makers across the group, and with Playamp we aim to supercharge them with a tech suite that elevates everything they already do." Generative AI is another pillar of MTG’s strategy.

InnoGames, for instance, has been using AI‑generated content for its mobile title Sunrise Village for some time and is looking to expand AI‑driven creation across its portfolio. Redin says this mirrors a broader industry trend where AI tools are being woven into the production pipeline. "Across the mobile space, AI processes are being embedded into games," she noted. "Most industry peers are having similar discussions about how to adopt new technology.

Generative AI is far more powerful than any tool we’ve had before." The company’s approach is to layer AI onto existing workflows—enhancing A/B testing, graphics creation, quality assurance, and more—rather than replace them outright. Successful AI solutions from individual studios are being incorporated into the Plarium tech suite for group‑wide rollout. "We allow studios to experiment within our overarching AI framework, share learnings, and quickly scale any breakthrough across the company," Redin explained.

When asked whether AI has become indispensable in the hyper‑competitive mobile market, Redin cautioned against overstatement. "I often get asked if gaming AI will eventually do everything we do. I don’t think so. The creativity of our talent can’t yet be replicated by AI.

However, if we ignore AI we’ll fall behind competitors. Embracing it lets us move faster and produce better games," she said.

Redin highlighted that roughly 80 % of MTG’s revenue now comes from the Playamp division, with the casual side (Playsimple) contributing about 20 %. She is eager to broaden both divisions. "We bought Snowprint a few years ago; if we could find five more studios like Snowprint worldwide, that would be fantastic.

On the casual side we’d like to add more scale," she said. Currently, Playsimple consists of a single studio, yet it still accounts for a fifth of the group’s earnings. Looking ahead, Redin hinted at the possibility of a third district within the gaming village, though its exact focus remains undefined. "Any new district would build on our core capabilities—either leveraging our marketing platforms or our data assets," she said.

Despite the market’s maturity, the top‑ten mobile games list changes little year after year. Redin reiterated MTG’s long‑standing belief in evergreen intellectual properties. "Our thesis from day one has been to back evergreen IPs," she said. While Raid: Shadow Legends still has many years of life ahead, MTG remains committed to developing new titles to keep the pipeline fresh.

The challenge of launching successful new games is evident across the industry. Supercell’s Ilkka Paananen warned that the Western mobile market is “coasting,” noting that only two of the 22 titles surpassing $1 billion since 2020 originated in the West.

Even Supercell’s own incubation efforts have struggled, with projects like Squad Busters shutting down after a brief run. Redin acknowledged the difficulty but stressed its importance for creative vitality. "If we stopped investing in new games, we’d erode the DNA of our studios. New titles keep creativity, passion, and drive alive," she said.

Plarium, for example, has a new game slated for soft launch early next year. On the macro level, Redin sees continued opportunity despite slower growth rates. "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’s growth potential," she affirmed. "We won’t see the hyper‑growth of the past, but low‑single‑digit to mid‑single‑digit growth is realistic. To exceed that, we must double‑down on strong evergreen IPs while also bringing fresh games to market."