Mattel creates global Game Studios organisation to expand UNO, Hot Wheels and mobile portfolio

Mattel has formed Mattel Game Studios, a new global games organisation bringing together almost 300 developers, artists, engineers, producers and live-operations specialists across Los Angeles and Hangzhou. The group will focus on developing, publishing and operating games based on Mattel's enormous portfolio of brands. Mobile will play a central role alongside Roblox, Fortnite and other digital platforms.

The organisation builds on Mattel's acquisition of Mattel163, which already created a successful mobile portfolio around UNO, Phase 10, Skip-Bo and related properties. Those games have generated more than 550 million downloads and collectively reach approximately 20 million monthly active players. Mattel Game Studios has already launched a self-published Masters of the Universe mobile game, while UNO Wild is in soft launch and a new Hot Wheels project is under development.

The strategy gives Mattel more direct control over its gaming business instead of relying primarily on licensing deals with external publishers. That could allow the company to coordinate live operations, marketing and cross-media campaigns more closely with toys and entertainment. For mobile players, the main question is whether the studio uses familiar brands to create genuinely distinctive games or simply expands the number of free-to-play adaptations built around established intellectual property.