adminThe MTG mobile gaming strategy combines studio acquisitions, shared technology and continued investment in new titles. After acquiring Plarium, the maker of Raid: Shadow Legends, for $620 million, the Swedish gaming group has set an ambitious goal: doubling its size over roughly three to five years. CEO and president Maria Redin says that reaching the target will require both organic growth and further acquisitions.
Image credit: MTG
MTG mobile gaming strategy and plans for growth
MTG has pursued rapid expansion before. Redin says the company set a similar growth ambition in 2021 and tripled in size. However, the mobile games market has matured: growth has slowed from double-digit rates to single digits, making it harder for companies to expand without attracting players from established competitors or acquiring other businesses.
Acquisitions alone do not guarantee success. Studios need to work together without losing the creative culture and expertise that made them valuable. MTG’s approach is to retain founders and teams after a purchase and create an environment where they can continue building their businesses. For companies considering similar growth, retaining experienced teams can be as important as the deal itself.
New studio groups and shared technology
Before buying Plarium, MTG’s portfolio already included InnoGames, Snowprint, Hutch, Ninja Kiwi and Futureplay. The group has reorganized its studios into two divisions. Playsimple focuses on free-to-play games supported by advertising, while Playamp covers games that rely on in-app purchases. Playamp accounts for the majority of MTG’s portfolio.
The company describes its wider goal as building a connected “gaming village”—a structure intended to help studios collaborate while still giving their teams room to create. MTG is also standardizing selected technology and tools, rather than requiring every studio to build its own solution. Redin says the company assesses where shared systems will help and where different teams need different tools.
Playsimple’s technology is intended to support future casual-game acquisitions. For Playamp, MTG is selectively rolling out parts of Plarium’s technology suite. Plarium’s GoGame marketing platform and PDP data platform are already being used across the group, with additional features being developed. A practical consideration in this kind of integration is whether a shared tool improves teams’ work; standardization should serve that purpose, not become a goal by itself.
How AI fits into MTG’s game development
MTG is exploring generative AI as part of its production process. InnoGames, for example, has used AI to generate content for Sunrise Village and has considered expanding its use of AI-generated content. Redin says studios are evaluating how the technology could fit into workflows, including areas such as A/B testing, graphics, quality assurance, analysis and coding.
Rather than applying one approach everywhere, MTG allows studios to test different uses within shared guidelines. Successful solutions can then be considered for wider rollout. Redin sees AI as a way to help teams work faster and handle capacity gaps, while emphasizing that human creativity and judgment remain important to making games relevant to players.
Image credit: MTG — MTG acquired Plarium, the maker of Raid: Shadow Legends.
Acquisitions, evergreen games and new releases
Redin says Playamp currently generates around 80% of MTG’s revenue. Playsimple consists of one studio and contributes about 20%. MTG wants to add more studios, particularly businesses similar to Snowprint, and expand its casual-games presence. The company may eventually create a third division, potentially built around capabilities such as marketing platforms or data, but its form has not been decided.
MTG also sees long-running games, or evergreen intellectual property, as an important part of its business. Redin believes Raid: Shadow Legends has further potential, but says established titles cannot replace a pipeline of new games. Plarium has a new title planned for a soft launch early next year, according to Redin.
Launching a successful game is difficult, and the mobile market is increasingly competitive. Still, Redin argues that continuing to develop new titles helps studios preserve creativity and momentum. She estimates there are three billion gamers worldwide and sees further market growth, though not at the extraordinary pace of earlier years. In her view, companies seeking to grow faster than the market need to support successful evergreen games and bring new releases to players.
What MTG’s approach means for mobile gaming
The MTG mobile gaming strategy brings together selective acquisitions, studio retention, shared technology and investment in both established and new games. Its planned expansion will depend on integrating businesses effectively while allowing their teams to keep creating. For mobile-game companies, the balance between scaling proven titles and making room for new ideas remains central to sustainable growth.
