adminMattel Game Studios brings the company’s digital game development and publishing work under one organisation. The division is intended to build on Mattel’s existing mobile and licensing experience while creating new ways for fans to interact with brands such as UNO, Hot Wheels and Barbie. Its strategy spans games developed in-house, projects made with external studios and experiences designed for creator platforms.
Image credit: Mattel
What Mattel Game Studios is building
Mattel announced the new global development organisation in August. It operates within Mattel Digital Studios and follows the company’s February acquisition of full ownership of Mattel163. Established in 2018 as a joint venture between Mattel and NetEase, Mattel163 helped the company build experience in mobile game development and ongoing operations.
Mattel said the new group includes nearly 300 artists, designers, engineers, live operations specialists and producers, based in Los Angeles and Hangzhou. Its portfolio includes existing mobile games such as Phase 10, self-published projects including UNO Wild, and an upcoming Hot Wheels experience. The company also works with external developers on licensed releases, including Hot Wheels Infinite Rush and Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction.
For readers following a game’s development, a useful distinction is whether it is self-published or made with a partner: the model can shape a project’s creative control, production responsibilities and post-launch support.
Marcus Liassides | Image credit: Mattel
Marcus Liassides, senior vice president and global head of Mattel Digital Studios, describes internal development as an area for strategic growth, rather than a target for a particular share of the company’s output. Developing games in-house can give Mattel more creative oversight, build expertise over time and strengthen its direct relationship with players. Partnerships remain important, since external studios can bring specialist skills and distinctive creative ideas.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction is being made by Bitmap Bureau, the studio behind Terminator 2D: No Fate | Image credit: Bitmap Bureau/Clear River Games
How Mattel chooses development partners
Mattel looks for studios with strong craft, a clear creative direction and an understanding of how a particular brand can meaningfully shape a game. Its assessment may include a developer’s creative approach, technical strengths, record of delivering quality and experience running live games when that is relevant.
The company is open to pitches from established AAA developers and independent teams alike. A strong proposal should explain what makes the game compelling for players and why the Mattel property belongs in that experience. For developers, this means starting with the game concept and its audience—not simply seeking access to a familiar name.
Mattel considers both standalone games and brand appearances in existing titles valuable. Hot Wheels Unleashed, developed by Milestone and released in 2021, is an example of a full game built around a Mattel property. Hot Wheels content in Forza Horizon 5, including its 2022 DLC, shows how a collaboration can introduce a brand to players within a game they already enjoy.
The Hot Wheels DLC for Forza Horizon 5 launched in 2022 | Image credit: Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
These approaches serve different purposes: a dedicated game can offer a deeper brand-focused experience, while a collaboration can help reach an existing player community. Choosing between them depends on the audience, the concept and the platform.
Mattel Game Studios and Roblox
Mattel has also brought its properties to Roblox, where players can participate in social and creator-led experiences. The company released He-Man and the Masters of the Universe on the platform in 2022, followed by Monster High and UNO: Bridge Clash in 2025.
Players want to take part in a brand experience, not only consume it.
Liassides says platforms built around user-generated content give fans opportunities to create, socialise and form communities around properties such as Barbie, Monster High and UNO. A key lesson from Mattel’s work on Roblox is that a game should be designed for the platform rather than transferred there unchanged. Players expect experiences that fit Roblox’s conventions, audience and social culture.
For developers considering a Roblox project, practical priorities include understanding how people use the platform, supporting creativity and social interaction, and giving players reasons to return. Regular updates and attention to community feedback can help an experience evolve over time. Because Roblox is continually shaped by its users, listening to players is part of ongoing development, not just a launch task.
Lessons from NetEase and the long-term strategy
Mattel’s work with NetEase through Mattel163 helped the company learn how to develop mobile games for a global audience, operate them at scale and improve them using player feedback. Liassides says those lessons continue to inform the games Mattel now develops and publishes itself.
MOTU Skeletor™: Until Next Time – Launch Trailer
Skeletor: Until Next Time was developed by Amber. Watch on YouTube.
Mattel has entered and exited the games business before. It sold its Intellivision business in 1984, following the US games crash. The company later founded Mattel Media in 1996; the business became Mattel Interactive and was sold to Gore Technology Group in 2000 before closing in 2001.
Liassides says Mattel now treats gaming as an enduring part of its entertainment business, alongside toys, television, film, publishing, consumer products and live experiences. The company’s plans include growing its internally developed portfolio, working with external studios and building long-term player communities across games and creator platforms such as Roblox and Fortnite.
One principle from Mattel’s past experience is that a well-known property alone does not guarantee a successful game. The gameplay needs to stand on its own, while the brand should add to the experience. For players, that means looking beyond familiar characters or logos and considering whether the game itself offers enjoyable, well-supported play.
Over the next five years, Mattel aims to establish Mattel Game Studios as a leading entertainment-based game developer and publisher. Its progress will depend on the quality of its releases and the communities they build, whether projects are made internally or with development partners. The strategy points to a long-term effort to make Mattel Game Studios a lasting part of how audiences experience the company’s brands.
Hot Wheels Infinite Rush launched in September | Image credit: Milestone/Mattel
