Modern Times Group Aims to Double in Size and Scale Up AI Tooling

Swedish digital entertainment firm Modern Times Group wants to double in size over the next three to five years while scaling up artificial intelligence tooling. MTG has grown its games business substantially over the years through acquisitions and organic growth. The company's portfolio includes InnoGames, Snowprint Studios, Hutch, Ninja Kiwi, Futureplay, PlaySimple, and Plarium. Plarium is the most recent acquisition, with MTG purchasing the Raid: Shadow Legends developer for $620 million from Aristocrat Leisure after Aristocrat stepped away from games to focus on its casino business.

MTG president and CEO Maria Redin explained the company strategy in an interview. Redin noted that achieving this growth requires more than pure organic expansion, pointing to a selective merger and acquisition agenda to diversify the portfolio with evergreen intellectual properties and casual franchises. Redin stated that the company seeks relevant scale rather than size for its own sake, focusing on amazing games that players love and incorporating studios that fit into its corporate gaming village.

The village philosophy underpins how MTG operates, requiring individual studios to stand on their own financial merits while sharing technology and operational learnings across the group. Shared resources include marketing platforms and data systems, helping the company compete with social media and streaming platforms. While MTG remains heavily Western-focused in its style of game and studio locations, Redin noted that the company is observing hubs in Türkiye, China, and Vietnam for potential genre diversification.

Last month, MTG rebranded its midcore in-app purchase-focused division to PlayAmp. This division includes Plarium, InnoGames, Snowprint, Hutch, Ninja Kiwi, and Futureplay. Shared services across PlayAmp include Plarium's data platform, the GoGame marketing platform, a direct-to-consumer platform that accounted for 51 percent of the division's total revenue as of the second quarter of 2026, and an artificial intelligence lab.

Regarding artificial intelligence, MTG utilizes an overarching framework of whitelisted tools to give individual studios structural guidelines while allowing teams to test various applications rapidly. Successful tools and systems are shared across studios and districts. Additionally, a centralized artificial intelligence lab iterates within a sandbox environment to supplement studio efforts. Redin explained that artificial intelligence allows developers to approach new game development differently, enabling teams to build multiple prototypes and test ideas faster without replacing the existing workforce.