Mattel launches new global studios business to develop games based on its IP

Mattel is consolidating its games push under Mattel Game Studios, a new global development organization focused on owned IP. The studio sits inside Mattel Digital Studios and is meant to give the company more control over creation, publishing, and live operations across its game portfolio.

The team includes nearly 300 artists, designers, engineers, live ops specialists, and producers in Los Angeles and Hangzhou. It will oversee current mobile games as well as upcoming free-to-play titles and platform releases on services like Roblox and Fortnite, which makes this more than a branding exercise: it is a broader operating structure for Mattel’s interactive business.

The move follows Mattel’s February acquisition of the remaining 100% of Mattel163, the joint venture behind a slate of mobile games including UNO!, UNO Wonder, Phase 10, and Skip-Bo. Those titles have surpassed 550 million downloads and reach about 20 million monthly active players, giving the company a sizable live audience to build on.

Mattel Game Studios has already shipped Skeletor: Until Next Time!, an endless runner based on Masters of the Universe, and is now working on UNO Wild in soft launch plus an unannounced Hot Wheels game. The strategy mirrors the kind of IP-driven games business Hasbro has built, and it signals that Mattel wants a bigger share of the value chain instead of relying entirely on external partners.