In February of the previous year, Sweden’s mobile powerhouse Modern Times Group (MTG) completed a $620 million purchase of Plarium, the studio behind the wildly popular hero‑collection game Raid: Shadow Legends. That transaction, however, is only the opening move in a broader expansion plan, according to MTG’s president and chief executive, Maria Redin.
Redin told GamesIndustry.biz that the company set a bold vision after the Plarium deal: “We want to double our size again following the acquisition, and we’ll achieve that by continuing organic growth while also pursuing further purchases.” She added that the target timeline for this doubling is roughly three to five years. The ambition is not new – MTG had already set a similar goal in 2021 and, as Redin noted, the firm actually tripled its scale during that period. The mobile gaming sector, once characterized by double‑digit growth, has now settled into single‑digit expansion as the market matures. What was once a blue ocean has become a crowded, highly competitive arena where growth often means taking market share from rivals or absorbing them outright.
Acquiring studios is relatively straightforward; the real challenge lies in integrating them successfully. The industry is littered with cautionary tales of failed integrations that resulted in studio closures, but Redin believes MTG has a clear roadmap to avoid those pitfalls.
Before adding Plarium to its roster, MTG already owned a suite of mobile developers, including InnoGames (creator of 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 districts have now been rebranded as Playsimple and Playamp. Playsimple, named after the Indian studio behind WordTrip, houses free‑to‑play, ad‑supported titles, while Playamp contains the majority of MTG’s portfolio, focusing on games that generate revenue through in‑app purchases.
Redin emphasizes that the rebranding is only the surface of a deeper cultural shift. She envisions building “one of the leading gaming villages,” a term chosen deliberately to evoke a sense of community that employees want to belong to. Retaining talent and fostering integration are crucial for a company that has been on an acquisition binge. “Gaming is the perfect marriage of creativity and data‑driven decision‑making,” Redin says.
“People are our greatest asset, but they need an environment where they can thrive. When we acquire a studio, we want the founders and their teams to stay on board because that’s when the real story begins – scaling the business together.” A key part of the integration strategy involves standardising technology and tools across the group. Redin notes that not every studio needs a bespoke tech stack; a common foundation can drive efficiency. This standardisation push began when she took the helm in 2020, but the scale required to roll it out fully only arrived with the Plarium acquisition.
She acknowledges past missteps in the industry, such as Electronic Arts’ forced adoption of the Frostbite engine, which caused significant friction for teams working on titles like Mass Effect. To avoid similar issues, MTG tailors its tech approach to the needs of each district. Playsimple’s stack will serve as the baseline for future casual acquisitions, while the Midcore side will selectively adopt components of Plarium’s technology suite.
Plarium’s GoGame marketing platform and product‑detail‑page (PDP) data system have already been deployed across MTG, with additional features being added to enhance functionality. Redin explains that the goal is to channel resources where they deliver the highest return on investment, leveraging the group’s strong development talent and amplifying it with a unified tech suite.
Artificial intelligence is another pillar of MTG’s growth engine. Generative AI is already reshaping content creation within the mobile sector. For instance, InnoGames has been using AI to generate all of the assets for its Sunrise Village game and plans to expand AI‑driven content across its portfolio.
Redin observes that many industry peers are having similar conversations about embedding AI into production pipelines. She describes generative AI as “significantly more powerful than any tool we’ve had before” and stresses the need to strike a balance: integrating AI where it adds value—such as A/B testing, graphics, quality assurance—while preserving the creative spark that only human designers can provide. Successful AI solutions from individual MTG studios are being rolled out into the broader Plarium tech suite, allowing rapid diffusion of best practices.
Redin stresses the importance of giving studios the freedom to experiment within an overarching AI framework, then sharing learnings so that breakthroughs can be scaled quickly. When asked whether AI is now a prerequisite for competing in the mobile market, Redin cautions against fatalism. She believes AI will accelerate development and help fill capacity gaps, but she does not think AI can replace human creativity. “If we ignore AI, we risk falling behind competitors,” she says, “but the core of great games will always be the talent, imagination, and vision of our teams.” Financially, about 80 % of MTG’s revenue stems from the Playamp division, with the remaining 20 % generated by the casual side, currently represented by a single studio, Playsimple.
Redin is eager to expand both sides, noting that MTG acquired Snowprint a few years ago and would welcome additional studios of similar calibre. She also hints at the possibility of adding a third “district” to the gaming village, likely built around the group’s marketing and data capabilities. Despite the market’s maturity, Redin believes the top‑ten mobile games list remains relatively stable, reinforcing MTG’s long‑standing belief in evergreen IPs.
While Raid: Shadow Legends still has many years of revenue potential, the company also recognises the necessity of a fresh pipeline. Plarium is preparing a new title for soft launch early next year, and Redin stresses that investing in new games preserves the creative DNA of each studio.
Industry analysts, such as Supercell’s Ilkka Paananen, warn that Western mobile development is “coasting,” with only a handful of billion‑dollar titles emerging recently. Yet Redin remains optimistic: “We have three billion gamers worldwide; the market is still compelling. Growth may not reach the hyper‑growth levels of the past, but with a mix of strong evergreen franchises and a steady flow of new releases, we can continue to expand.” In summary, MTG’s strategy under Maria Redin’s leadership combines aggressive acquisition, thoughtful integration, unified technology, and AI‑enhanced development, all aimed at doubling the company’s size within the next few years while maintaining a vibrant, creative culture across its growing portfolio.