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 wildly popular hero‑collecting title Raid: Shadow Legends. That transaction, while already sizable, appears to be only the opening move in a broader expansion playbook, according to Maria Redin, MTG’s president and chief executive officer. Redin told GamesIndustry.biz that the company entered 2023 with a clear vision: after the Plarium acquisition, MTG intends to double its overall scale once again. “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 she cites is aggressive – roughly three to five years to achieve the doubling. Yet Redin points out that the firm has already demonstrated an ability to hit lofty targets.
In 2021 MTG announced a similar ambition and, as she noted, the company “tripled” its size in the years that followed, suggesting that the current goal is within reach if the right deals are made. The mobile gaming landscape has shifted dramatically in recent years.
A few short years ago, the sector was enjoying double‑digit growth rates, but today that momentum has slowed to single‑digit increments, reflecting a market that is maturing quickly. What once felt like a blue ocean of untapped users has become a crowded, highly competitive arena where growth often means taking market share from rivals or, more dramatically, absorbing them entirely. Acquiring studios is the easier half of the equation; the real challenge lies in integrating those new teams and technologies into an existing corporate structure. The industry is littered with cautionary tales of mergers that resulted in cultural clashes, duplicated effort, and ultimately the shuttering of studios.
Redin insists MTG has learned from those missteps and has a concrete plan to avoid them. Before the Plarium deal, MTG already owned 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 (maker of Merge Gardens). These studios were originally grouped into two “districts”: a Casual District and a Midcore District – the latter referring to games that sit between casual and hardcore experiences. In a recent re‑branding effort, the Casual District was renamed Playsimple, after the India‑based WordTrip studio, while the Midcore District became Playamp.
Playsimple now houses free‑to‑play, ad‑supported titles, whereas Playamp contains the bulk of MTG’s portfolio, which relies on in‑app purchases (IAPs) for revenue. The renaming is more than cosmetic; Redin says the goal is to create “one of the leading gaming villages.” The term “village” is deliberately chosen to evoke a sense of community and belonging, aiming to boost employee retention and foster a collaborative culture across the many newly acquired teams. "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 thrive," Redin said.
She emphasized that MTG’s acquisition strategy includes a commitment to keep founding teams and key talent on board after a purchase, because the real value emerges when those teams continue to develop and scale their products within the larger organization. A parallel initiative underway since Redin became CEO in 2020 is the standardisation of technology and tools across MTG’s studios.
The idea is to avoid reinventing the wheel for each new studio, instead providing a shared tech foundation that can be customised where necessary. Redin noted that the Plarium acquisition gave MTG the scale needed to roll out this vision more comprehensively. Standardisation is not without its pitfalls.
The gaming world remembers Electronic Arts’ attempt to force all its studios onto the proprietary Frostbite engine, a move that caused significant delays and frustration on projects like Mass Effect. Redin is aware of these lessons and has taken a more nuanced approach: the tech stack for Playsimple is being used as a baseline for future casual acquisitions, while Playamp is selectively adopting components of Plarium’s technology suite. "We’ve done a very thorough internal assessment on where it makes sense to collaborate and share tools, and where it doesn’t," she explained. Two of Plarium’s platforms – the GoGame marketing suite and a product‑detail‑page (PDP) data platform – are already being deployed across the MTG ecosystem, with additional features being built on top of them.
The intention is to amplify the productivity of all studios, ensuring that resources are allocated where they generate the greatest return on investment. Artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI, is another area where MTG is investing heavily.
InnoGames, for example, has been using AI to generate content for its mobile title Sunrise Village for some time and is now looking to expand AI‑driven creation across its entire catalogue. Redin observes that AI is becoming embedded in many stages of game development, from A/B testing and graphic generation to quality assurance and analytics. "Generative AI is significantly more powerful than any other tool we’ve had before," she said.
"We’re trying to find the right balance – where we change the workflow and where we keep the existing process. The aim is to make our games more relevant to players and, ideally, bring new titles to market faster and with higher quality." MTG’s AI strategy is deliberately modular.
Successful AI solutions that emerge within individual studios are being packaged into the broader Plarium tech suite, allowing other teams to adopt proven methods quickly. Redin stressed that while AI can accelerate production, it does not replace human creativity. "Our talent’s imagination is still the core driver.
AI is a super‑charger, not a replacement," she affirmed. Revenue-wise, about 80 % of MTG’s earnings now come from the Playamp division, with the remaining 20 % generated by Playsimple. Redin is eager to broaden both sides of the business.
She cited Snowprint as an example of a studio they would love to replicate globally – “if we could find five more Snowprints around the world, that would be fantastic.” On the casual side, she noted that Playsimple is currently a single studio but still contributes a meaningful share of income, and there are plans to scale it further. Looking ahead, Redin hinted at the possibility of adding a third district to the gaming village, though the exact focus of that unit is still being defined. It could centre around the core capabilities MTG already possesses, such as leveraging its marketing platforms or data analytics infrastructure.
When asked about the future of mobile gaming titles, Redin observed that the top‑ten list of mobile games changes very little each year. "Our thesis from day one has been that evergreen IPs are essential," she said. While MTG continues to invest in proven franchises like Raid: Shadow Legends, the company also recognises the necessity of a fresh pipeline. Plarium, for instance, has a new game slated for a soft launch early next year.
The broader industry context is challenging. Supercell’s Ilkka Paananen has warned that Western mobile developers are “coasting,” with only two of the 22 games that have surpassed $1 billion in revenue since 2020 originating from the West. Even Supercell’s own incubation efforts have faced setbacks, as illustrated by the recent shutdown of Squad Busters. Redin acknowledges these difficulties but maintains that new titles are vital for preserving the creative DNA of each studio.
"If we stop investing in new games, we lose a part of what makes our studios unique," she said. "That creativity fuels passion and drive, which are essential for long‑term success." In summary, Redin sees a mobile gaming market that, while no longer experiencing the explosive growth of its early days, still offers ample opportunity. With roughly three billion gamers worldwide, the sector remains compelling despite competition from streaming services, social media, and other entertainment forms.
Growth rates now hover in the low‑ to mid‑single‑digit range, and to exceed those averages MTG plans to double down on evergreen IPs while simultaneously nurturing a pipeline of new releases. The roadmap is clear: continue strategic acquisitions, standardise technology where it adds value, harness AI to boost efficiency, and cultivate a corporate culture that feels like a village where talent can thrive. If executed well, these initiatives could see MTG not just double in size but also cement its position as a leading, integrated mobile gaming powerhouse.