In February of the previous year, Sweden’s mobile entertainment leader Modern Times Group (MTG) completed a $620 million purchase of Plarium, the developer behind the blockbuster hero‑collection title Raid: Shadow Legends. That transaction, while already sizeable, appears to be merely the opening move in a broader expansion agenda, according to Maria Redin, MTG’s president and chief executive officer.
Redin told GamesIndustry.biz that the company set a clear vision after the Plarium deal: “Our goal after acquiring Plarium is to double the size of MTG once more.” She emphasized that organic growth will continue to be a priority, but achieving the next‑level scale will require further acquisitions. The timeline she outlined is aggressive—she aims to hit the doubling target within roughly three to five years. Redin noted that MTG has already demonstrated an ability to meet lofty objectives, pointing out that the firm pursued a similar ambition in 2021 and, in her words, “we think we tripled” during that period. The mobile gaming landscape has shifted dramatically over the past few years.
Where once the sector was expanding at double‑digit rates, growth has now settled into single‑digit figures, reflecting a market that is maturing quickly. The once‑vast “blue ocean” of untapped users has become increasingly “red,” meaning that any additional growth now largely depends on capturing market share from competitors or, more directly, absorbing them through acquisitions. While buying studios is relatively straightforward, the real challenge lies in integrating those new entities into an existing corporate structure without losing talent or momentum—a problem that has plagued many firms in the industry. MTG entered the Plarium deal already overseeing a portfolio of mobile studios, including InnoGames (known for Forge of Empires), Snowprint (creator of Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus), Hutch (developer of F1 Clash), Ninja Kiwi (behind Bloons TD 6), and Futureplay (producer of Merge Gardens).
Historically, these studios were split into two internal groups: the Casual District, which focused on low‑commitment, ad‑driven experiences, and the Midcore District, which targeted games that sit between casual and hardcore in terms of depth and monetisation. Following the acquisition, MTG rebranded these clusters as Playsimple and Playamp, respectively. Playsimple now houses free‑to‑play, ad‑supported titles, while Playamp contains the majority of the company’s in‑app‑purchase‑driven portfolio. The rebranding is only part of a larger cultural initiative Redin calls the creation of “one of the leading gaming villages.” She explained that the term is intentionally warm and inclusive, designed to foster a sense of belonging among developers, founders, and staff across the growing conglomerate.
Retaining talent after a takeover is critical, she said, because the most exciting phase begins once the acquired teams stay on board and start scaling their existing projects. “People are undoubtedly one of our biggest assets,” Redin asserted, “but you also have to build an environment where they can thrive.” A key pillar of MTG’s integration strategy is the standardisation of technology and development tools across its studios. Redin noted that the push for uniform tech stacks began when she assumed the CEO role in 2020, but the scale required to roll it out effectively only materialised after Plarium joined the group. The company is careful not to impose a one‑size‑fits‑all solution; instead, it tailors the tech suite to the needs of each district.
For Playsimple, a new foundation will be built around the tech stack of the India‑based studio behind WordTrip, while Playamp will adopt selected components from Plarium’s own technology, deploying them selectively after a thorough internal assessment of where shared tools make sense. Plarium’s GoGame marketing platform and its product‑detail‑page (PDP) data system have already been rolled out across MTG, with additional features being added to enhance functionality. Redin believes that leveraging these shared platforms will boost the productivity of all studios, allowing them to focus resources where they generate the greatest return. “We want to make sure we put our efforts where we get the biggest bang for our buck,” she said, emphasizing that the goal is to empower the existing talent pool with a robust, company‑wide tech suite.
Artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI, is another area where MTG is investing heavily. The technology is already reshaping content creation at InnoGames, where AI has been used to generate assets for the mobile title Sunrise Village and is being explored for broader application across the studio’s catalogue. Redin observes that AI is becoming a standard discussion point among mobile developers, with many seeking the right balance between automation and human creativity.
She described AI as “significantly more powerful than any other tool we have had before,” and highlighted its role in accelerating workflows such as A/B testing, graphic production, quality assurance, and analytics. MTG’s approach to AI is collaborative: successful AI solutions developed in one studio are packaged into the Plarium tech suite and made available to other teams, provided they align with the company’s overarching AI governance framework. This method encourages experimentation while ensuring that best practices are disseminated quickly throughout the organisation.
When asked whether AI will eventually replace human developers, Redin was cautious. She believes that while AI can augment and speed up many processes, the core of game development—creativity, vision, and innovative thinking—remains a distinctly human domain.
“If we don’t embrace AI, we will fall behind our competitors,” she warned, adding that AI can help close capacity gaps, allowing teams to deliver more content without sacrificing quality. Financially, about 80 % of MTG’s revenue now stems from the Playamp division, with the remaining 20 % generated by Playsimple.
Redin expressed a desire to broaden the studio roster further, noting that the company purchased Snowprint a few years ago and would welcome additional studios with similar capabilities. She also hinted at the possibility of adding a third “district” to the gaming village, one that would likely centre around the core competencies of marketing platforms and data analytics. Despite the market’s maturity, Redin remains confident about the sector’s long‑term prospects. She points out that there are roughly three billion mobile gamers worldwide, and while growth rates have settled into low‑single‑digit to mid‑single‑digit territory, there is still room for expansion.
The company’s strategy balances investment in evergreen IPs—titles that have proven staying power, such as Raid—with the development of new games to keep the pipeline fresh. Redin acknowledges the difficulty of launching successful new titles, citing industry examples where even well‑funded incubators have struggled, but she argues that a steady flow of new releases is essential to maintain creative vitality within the studios.
In summary, MTG under Maria Redin’s leadership is pursuing a multi‑pronged growth plan: aggressive acquisition to increase scale, thoughtful rebranding and cultural integration to retain talent, strategic technology standardisation to improve efficiency, and a forward‑looking embrace of AI to stay competitive. All of these elements are aimed at doubling the company’s size within the next few years while preserving the innovative spirit that has driven its success so far.