In February of last year, the Swedish mobile powerhouse Modern Times Group (MTG) completed a $620 million acquisition of Plarium, the developer behind the blockbuster hero‑collection title Raid: Shadow Legends. That deal, while already massive, is only the first step in a broader expansion plan, according to Maria Redin, MTG’s president and chief executive officer. Redin told GamesIndustry.biz that the company’s vision, set out after the Plarium purchase, is to double MTG’s overall size again within the next three to five years.
"We set out the vision last year that post‑acquisition of Plarium we want to double yet again in size," she said. "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, but Redin noted that MTG has already demonstrated the ability to scale quickly. In 2021 the group announced a similar ambition and, as she put it, "I think we tripled" in the intervening period. The mobile gaming sector, which a few years ago was expanding at double‑digit rates, has now settled into single‑digit growth, reflecting a maturing market that is no longer a blue ocean but a crowded, competitive sea.
To keep expanding, MTG must either capture market share from rivals or absorb them outright. Acquisitions are the easy part; the real challenge lies in integration. The industry is littered with cautionary tales of studios that were bought only to be shuttered after a botched merger.
MTG, however, believes it has a clear roadmap. Before buying Plarium, the group 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 grouped into two “districts”: a Casual District and a Midcore District, the latter covering games that sit between casual and hardcore experiences.
The recent rebranding renamed these districts as Playsimple and Playamp. Playsimple, named after the Indian studio behind WordTrip, will host free‑to‑play, ad‑supported titles, while Playamp will focus on games that generate revenue primarily through in‑app purchases – the segment that now accounts for roughly 80 % of MTG’s earnings.
The renaming is more than cosmetic; Redin says the goal is to forge "one of the leading gaming villages," a community‑oriented concept designed to improve employee retention and foster a sense of belonging across the rapidly expanding roster of studios. "I always say gaming is the best marriage between creativity and data‑driven decisions. People are definitely one of our biggest assets, but you also need to create an environment for them to thrive," Redin explained.
She emphasized that when MTG acquires a studio, the intention is to keep the founding teams intact, allowing the real story of growth to begin after the deal closes. "The only way you can make sure they stay is if you create an environment which they enjoy," she added. A key pillar of the integration plan is the standardisation of technology and tools across the group.
Redin has pursued this agenda since becoming CEO in 2020, but she believes Plarium’s size finally gave MTG the scale needed to roll the vision out fully. "Not everything needs to be built uniquely for every single company," she said, noting that the tech stack for Playsimple will serve as a foundation for future casual acquisitions, while a selective portion of Plarium’s technology will be shared with the Midcore (Playamp) studios.
She cautioned that tech standardisation must be applied judiciously. The experience of Electronic Arts, which forced its studios to adopt the Frostbite engine and caused widespread friction, serves as a warning. MTG therefore conducts thorough internal assessments to decide where shared tools make sense and where bespoke solutions are required.
Plarium’s GoGame marketing platform and product‑detail‑page (PDP) data suite have already been rolled out across the group, with additional features being added to enhance their capabilities. Redin said the aim is to maximise impact: "We want to make sure that we put our efforts where we get the biggest bang for our buck. We have some amazing game makers across the group, and with Playamp we want to really super‑charge that with a tech suite they can leverage." Artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI, is another area where MTG is investing heavily.
InnoGames, for example, has been using AI‑generated content for its mobile title Sunrise Village and plans to broaden AI‑driven creation across its portfolio. Redin sees this as part of a wider industry trend: "Generative AI is significantly more powerful than any other tool that we got access to before." The company’s AI strategy focuses on augmenting existing workflows rather than replacing them. AI is being layered onto tools for A/B testing, graphics production, quality assurance and other pipelines. Successful AI solutions from individual studios are being packaged into the Plarium tech suite and disseminated throughout MTG.
"We need to allow our different studios to try different things, as long as it fits into our overarching AI framework on the dos and don'ts," Redin said. "Then we share the learnings, and when one company develops something really good, we roll it out quickly on a broader scale." When asked whether AI has become a prerequisite for competing in the mobile market, Redin was cautious. "I often get the question, is gaming AI going to be able to do everything you do?
And I actually don't think so," she replied. She stressed that human creativity remains irreplaceable, but acknowledged that ignoring AI would leave MTG lagging behind rivals. "If we don't embrace AI, we are going to be slower than our competitors.
AI can super‑charge everything we do while we keep the creativity, innovation, and vision of our team." Revenue-wise, about 80 % now comes from the Playamp division, with the casual side (Playsimple) contributing roughly 20 % despite consisting of a single studio at present. Redin expressed a desire to expand both sides: "We bought Snowprint a couple of years back, and if we could find five more Snowprints around the world, that would be fantastic.
On the casual side, we would like to add more scale." Looking ahead, Redin hinted at the possibility of a third district within the "gaming village," though its exact focus is still being defined. It could centre on leveraging the group’s marketing platforms or data assets to support new types of studios. Despite the rapid changes in the market, the top‑ten mobile games list remains remarkably stable, reinforcing MTG’s long‑standing belief in evergreen IPs. "Our thesis from day one has been that we believe in evergreen IPs," Redin said.
While Raid: Shadow Legends still has many years of life left, the company also recognises the need for a fresh pipeline. Plarium is preparing to soft‑launch a new title early next year, and MTG continues to scout for promising new projects. Industry observers, such as Supercell’s Ilkka Paananen, warn that the western mobile sector is "coasting" – only two of the 22 titles that have surpassed $1 billion since 2020 originated in the West.
Supercell itself has struggled to turn new incubated games into hits, with projects like Squad Busters being discontinued after a brief run. Redin acknowledges the difficulty: "It's hard to make a successful game and scale a game," but she insists that abandoning new‑game investment would erode the creative DNA of MTG’s studios. "Investing in new games is how you retain creativity, passion and drive." In the broader context of a maturing market, Redin remains optimistic about growth potential.
With roughly three billion gamers worldwide, the audience is still compelling, even as competition for attention intensifies from streaming services and social media. She predicts that while the era of hyper‑growth is over, the industry can still achieve low‑ to mid‑single‑digit expansion if it continues to nurture strong evergreen titles and successfully launches fresh experiences.
In summary, MTG’s roadmap combines aggressive acquisition, thoughtful integration, unified technology platforms, and a balanced embrace of AI to sustain and grow its portfolio. By fostering a collaborative "gaming village" culture and keeping both legacy hits and new concepts in the pipeline, the company aims to double its size within the next few years while maintaining the creative spirit that has driven its success so far.