In February of last year, Sweden’s mobile entertainment leader Modern Times Group (MTG) completed a $620 million purchase of Plarium, the developer behind the blockbuster hero‑collection game Raid: Shadow Legends. That transaction, while already sizable, is only the first step in a broader expansion plan, according to MTG’s president and chief executive, Maria Redin. Redin told GamesIndustry.biz that the company’s ambition, set after the Plarium deal, is to double its overall size once more.
"We set out the vision last year that post‑acquisition of Plarium we want to double yet again in size," she explained. "And yes, we want to fuel and continue to drive organic growth, but in order to do that, we will need to do more acquisitions." The timeline is aggressive: Redin aims to achieve the doubling within roughly three to five years. She noted that MTG has already demonstrated the capacity to scale quickly, recalling that the firm set a similar growth target in 2021 and ultimately tripled its size. The mobile gaming landscape has changed dramatically over the past few years.
Where once the sector was expanding at double‑digit rates, growth has now settled into single‑digit territory, reflecting a market that is maturing and becoming increasingly competitive. The once‑blue ocean of untapped users has turned a deep red, meaning that future expansion will likely involve capturing market share from rivals or, more directly, acquiring them.
Acquiring studios is the easier half of the equation; integrating them successfully is where many companies stumble. The industry is littered with examples of poorly managed integrations that led to studio closures and wasted investment. MTG, however, believes it has a clear roadmap for integration.
Before buying Plarium, MTG already owned a portfolio of mobile studios, including InnoGames (known for Forge of Empires), Snowprint (Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus), Hutch (F1 Clash), Ninja Kiwi (Bloons TD 6), and Futureplay (Merge Gardens). These studios were originally grouped into two “districts”: a Casual District and a Midcore District—the latter covering games that sit between casual and hardcore experiences. The districts have now been rebranded as Playsimple and Playamp, respectively.
Playsimple, named after the India‑based WordTrip studio, focuses on free‑to‑play, ad‑supported titles, while Playamp houses the majority of MTG’s portfolio, which relies on in‑app purchases (IAPs). Redin says the rebranding is more than a cosmetic change; it is part of a larger vision to create “one of the leading gaming villages.” The term “village” is meant to evoke a sense of community and belonging, encouraging talent to stay and thrive within the organization. "I always say gaming is the best marriage between creativity and data‑driven decisions. People are one of our biggest assets, but you also need to create an environment where they can flourish," Redin remarked.
She emphasized that MTG’s acquisition strategy includes keeping founders and teams on board after a deal, because the real growth story begins once the acquired studio can operate under the MTG umbrella while retaining its creative DNA. A key component of the integration plan is the standardisation of technology and tools across the group. Redin has pursued this goal since becoming CEO in 2020, but she notes that the Plarium acquisition gave MTG the scale needed to roll the vision out fully. Rather than forcing every studio to adopt a single, monolithic engine—a mistake famously made by Electronic Arts with its Frostbite platform—MTG tailors its tech stacks to the needs of each district.
Playsimple’s tooling forms the foundation for future casual acquisitions, whereas the Midcore side is adopting selected components of Plarium’s technology suite, applied selectively after thorough internal assessments. Plarium’s GoGame marketing platform and product‑data platform (PDP) are now being deployed across the entire MTG ecosystem, with additional features and functionality being added to enhance their utility. Redin explained that the aim is to maximise return on investment by providing studios with a robust, shared tech backbone while still allowing flexibility for unique needs. Artificial intelligence is another area where MTG is pushing forward.
Generative AI has already been integrated into InnoGames’ workflow, with all content for the mobile title Sunrise Village now being AI‑generated. The company is exploring broader AI‑driven content creation across its portfolio. Redin sees AI as a powerful accelerator that can improve everything from A/B testing and graphics generation to quality assurance. She stresses that AI should augment, not replace, human creativity: "Our talent has amazing creativity that isn’t yet within AI.
If we don’t embrace AI, we’ll fall behind competitors. The goal is to keep the creative spark while leveraging new technology to move faster and better." Revenue-wise, about 80 % of MTG’s income currently stems from the Playamp division, with the remaining 20 % generated by Playsimple. Redin is eager to broaden both sides of the business. She cited the recent Snowprint acquisition and expressed interest in finding “five more Snowprints around the world.” On the casual side, she noted that Playsimple is presently a single studio but still contributes a significant share of revenue, and she envisions adding a third district in the future—potentially focused on marketing or data capabilities.
When asked about the future of mobile gaming, Redin observes that the top‑ten charts have become remarkably stable. "Every year we do the same analysis, and you realise that the top games remain very consistent," she said, reinforcing MTG’s long‑standing belief in evergreen IPs. While the company continues to invest in proven titles like Raid, it also recognises the necessity of a fresh pipeline. Plarium is preparing a new game slated for a soft launch early next year, and Redin stresses that without new titles, a studio’s creative DNA could stagnate.
The broader market context is one of modest growth. With roughly three billion gamers worldwide, the sector remains attractive, but hyper‑growth rates have given way to low‑single‑digit or mid‑single‑digit expansion. To outpace the market, MTG plans to double down on its strong evergreen portfolio while simultaneously nurturing new releases.
Redin remains confident that, even in a maturing environment, there is still room for growth—provided the company balances the stability of established IPs with the excitement of fresh, innovative games.