In February of last year, Swedish mobile powerhouse Modern Times Group (MTG) completed a $620 million acquisition of Plarium, the studio behind the blockbuster hero‑collecting title Raid: Shadow Legends. That deal, however, is only the opening move in a broader expansion plan, according to MTG president and chief executive officer Maria Redin.
Redin told GamesIndustry.biz that the company’s vision, set after the Plarium purchase, is to double MTG’s scale once more within a three‑to‑five‑year horizon. "We want to keep driving organic growth, but to do that we’ll need to pursue additional acquisitions," she explained. The ambition is not new; MTG set a similar target in 2021 and, as Redin noted, the group actually tripled its size during that period.
The mobile gaming landscape has shifted dramatically in recent years. What was once a high‑growth, double‑digit arena is now maturing, with growth rates slipping into single‑digit territory.
The market has moved from a blue ocean of untapped opportunity to a crowded red sea where expansion often means taking market share from rivals or absorbing them outright. While buying companies is relatively straightforward, the real challenge lies in integrating them smoothly—a process that has derailed many deals in the industry. MTG entered the acquisition phase already owning a portfolio of studios such as 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 “districts”: the Casual District and the Midcore District, the latter covering games that sit between pure casual and hardcore experiences.
The districts have now been rebranded as Playsimple and Playamp. Playsimple, named after the India‑based WordTrip studio, houses free‑to‑play, ad‑supported titles, while Playamp focuses on games that generate revenue primarily through in‑app purchases, which represent the bulk of MTG’s earnings.
Redin says the rebranding is more than a cosmetic change; it is part of a larger effort to create what she calls “one of the leading gaming villages.” The phrasing is intentional, aiming to foster a sense of community that encourages staff to stay and thrive. "People are our biggest asset," she asserted. "When we acquire a studio we want the founders and their teams to remain on board, because that’s when the real story begins and we can scale the business further.
The only way to make that happen is to build an environment they enjoy." A key component of the integration strategy has been the standardisation of technology and tools across MTG’s growing network. Redin, who became CEO in 2020, has long advocated for a unified tech stack, but it was only after the Plarium deal that the group achieved the scale needed to roll out the vision comprehensively. The approach is selective: Playsimple’s tech foundation will serve future casual‑district acquisitions, while the Midcore side will adopt portions of Plarium’s suite on a case‑by‑case basis.
Redin stressed that the company performed a thorough internal audit to determine where shared tools make sense and where bespoke solutions are required. Plarium’s GoGame marketing platform and product‑detail‑page data system are now being deployed across the MTG ecosystem, with additional features being added to enhance functionality. "We want to invest where we get the biggest bang for our buck," Redin said, noting that the Playamp division will be super‑charged by this expanded tech suite, elevating the work already being done by the group’s talented developers.
Artificial intelligence is also reshaping MTG’s production pipelines. InnoGames, for example, has been using generative AI to create content for its mobile title Sunrise Village and plans to broaden AI‑driven content creation across its catalogue. Redin observes that AI is becoming embedded in many stages of game development—from A/B testing and graphics generation to quality assurance.
Successful AI tools from individual studios are being incorporated into the broader Plarium‑derived tech stack, allowing rapid cross‑studio dissemination of proven innovations. When asked whether AI will eventually replace human creativity, Redin was cautious. "I don’t think AI can do everything we do," she replied. "Our talent’s imagination is still essential.
But if we ignore AI, we risk falling behind competitors. The technology can augment our teams, fill capacity gaps, and accelerate delivery without sacrificing the creative spark that defines great games." Revenue-wise, roughly 80 % of MTG’s income now stems from the Playamp division, while the casual side—currently represented by a single studio, Playsimple—contributes about 20 %. Redin expressed a desire to broaden both sides, saying that finding additional studios akin to Snowprint would be “fantastic,” and that she is already contemplating a potential third district that would leverage the group’s core marketing and data capabilities. Despite the market’s maturity, the top‑ten mobile games list remains remarkably stable, a fact Redin highlighted when discussing MTG’s long‑term strategy.
The company continues to back evergreen IPs like Raid, which she believes still has many profitable years ahead, while also maintaining a pipeline of new titles. Plarium, for instance, is preparing to soft‑launch a fresh game early next year. Industry peers warn that the western mobile sector is “coasting,” noting that only two of the 22 titles surpassing $1 billion in revenue since 2020 originated from western studios. Yet Redin maintains that new games are essential to preserve each studio’s creative DNA and to keep the pipeline vibrant.
"It’s hard to make a hit and scale it," she admitted, "but without investing in new experiences we lose the passion that drives innovation." Looking ahead, Redin is optimistic about the market’s overall health. With three billion gamers worldwide, there is still ample opportunity, even if the era of hyper‑growth has passed.
She expects growth to hover in the low‑ to mid‑single‑digit range, and she believes that sustained investment in both proven evergreen franchises and fresh titles is the formula for continued success in a competitive, maturing mobile gaming ecosystem.