In February of the previous year, the Swedish 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 transaction was only the opening move in what the company’s chief executive, Maria Redin, describes as a much larger, multi‑year growth agenda. Redin told GamesIndustry.biz that the vision set out after the Plarium deal was to "double the size of MTG again" and that achieving this ambition would require a blend of organic expansion and further acquisitions. She placed the target timeline at roughly three to five years, noting that MTG had already demonstrated its capacity to scale quickly – the group tripled in size after a similar goal was set in 2021.
The mobile gaming landscape has changed dramatically in recent years. Where once the sector enjoyed double‑digit annual growth, it now records only single‑digit increases, reflecting a market that has matured and become fiercely competitive. The once‑blue ocean has turned a deep red, meaning that future growth will largely come from capturing market share from rivals or, more commonly, by absorbing them. Acquiring companies is the easy part; the real challenge lies in integrating them smoothly.
The industry is littered with cautionary tales of mergers that resulted in studio closures because cultural and technical integration failed. MTG, however, believes it has a clear roadmap for avoiding those pitfalls.
Before adding Plarium, MTG already owned a suite 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 studios were previously split into two operational clusters: the Casual District and the Midcore District – the latter covering games that sit between casual and hardcore experiences.
The recent rebranding renamed these clusters as Playsimple and Playamp. Playsimple, named after the Indian studio behind WordTrip, focuses on free‑to‑play, ad‑supported games, while Playamp houses the majority of MTG’s portfolio, which relies on in‑app purchases. Redin emphasizes that the rebranding is more than a cosmetic change.
She wants to create what she calls "one of the leading gaming villages," a concept designed to foster a sense of community and belonging among the many teams now under the MTG umbrella. Retaining talent is crucial when a company grows by buying studios, and Redin stresses that the people behind the games are MTG’s greatest asset.
She explains that the company’s acquisition strategy is predicated on keeping founders and development teams on board after the deal closes, because that is when the real value‑creation phase begins. To support this vision, MTG has embarked on a company‑wide standardisation of technology and tools.
Redin notes that not every studio needs a bespoke tech stack; a shared foundation can improve efficiency and reduce duplication of effort. The push for standardisation began when she became CEO in 2020, but the scale required to roll it out fully only materialised after the Plarium acquisition gave MTG the necessary breadth. The experience of other publishers illustrates the risks of forced standardisation.
Electronic Arts, for example, struggled when it mandated the use of its Frostbite engine across all studios, causing major disruptions on projects like Mass Effect. MTG is careful to differentiate between the needs of Playsimple and Playamp. The casual division will use a tech stack built around the Playsimple platform, while the midcore side will selectively adopt components from Plarium’s suite, ensuring that each studio receives tools that fit its genre and workflow. Plarium’s GoGame marketing platform and product‑detail‑page (PDP) data system are already being rolled out across the group, with additional features being added to enhance their utility.
Redin says the goal is to concentrate resources where they deliver the highest return, effectively "supercharging" the existing talent pool with a robust, shared technology suite. Artificial intelligence is another pillar of MTG’s modernization plan. The company, like many in the mobile space, is experimenting with generative AI to accelerate content creation. InnoGames, for instance, has been using AI to generate assets for its Sunrise Village title and is exploring broader applications 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 developed within individual studios are being integrated into the broader Plarium tech suite, allowing rapid dissemination of best practices. When asked whether AI could eventually replace human creativity, Redin is cautious.
She believes that while AI can augment speed and efficiency, the core creative spark still resides in people. "If we ignore AI, we will fall behind our competitors," she says, "but we must keep the human imagination at the heart of everything we do." Financially, about 80 % of MTG’s revenue now comes from the Playamp division, with the remaining 20 % generated by the casual Playsimple studio.
Redin is eager to broaden both sides of the business. She mentions that Snowprint was acquired a few years ago and that finding additional studios with a similar profile would be ideal. On the casual front, she envisions adding more studios to increase scale, and even contemplates a third "district" that could leverage the group’s marketing and data capabilities in a new way. Despite the market’s maturity, Redin remains optimistic about growth opportunities.
She points out that the top‑ten mobile games list changes very little each year, underscoring the durability of evergreen IPs. MTG’s strategy therefore balances investment in proven titles like Raid: Shadow Legends with a pipeline of new games to keep the portfolio fresh. Plarium, for example, is preparing to soft‑launch a new title early next year. Industry observers such as Supercell’s Ilkka Paananen warn that the Western mobile market is "coasting," noting that only two of the 22 games that have surpassed $1 billion in revenue since 2020 originated in the West.
Yet Redin acknowledges the difficulty of launching successful new titles, citing Supercell’s own challenges with recent incubated projects. She argues that a continuous flow of new games is essential to preserve the creative DNA of the studios and to sustain long‑term relevance. Looking ahead, Redin believes the mobile gaming market will not return to its hyper‑growth phase, but it will still deliver low‑ to mid‑single‑digit growth annually.
To exceed that baseline, MTG must double down on its evergreen franchises while also nurturing fresh IPs. By combining strategic acquisitions, unified technology platforms, and AI‑enhanced production pipelines, the company aims to keep its games compelling for the three‑billion‑strong global player base and to secure its position as a leading force in the evolving mobile gaming ecosystem.