Toy giant Mattel has set its sights on mobile – and it wants a Monopoly Go of its own
Mattel has repositioned its gaming operations to establish a major presence in mobile gaming, following the success of Hasbro and Scopely’s Monopoly Go. The toy giant completed the acquisition of NetEase’s stake in its joint venture Mattel163 in February 2026, subsequently rebranding the entity as Mattel Game Studios in August.
Leading this effort is Devin Nambiar, who joined as Chief Operating Officer after spending a decade at EA. He oversees approximately 300 staff members distributed between offices in Los Angeles and Hangzhou, China.
Currently, Mattel Game Studios operates several established mobile titles including Uno, Phase 10, Skip-Bo, and licensed properties such as Budge’s Barbie Dreamhouse and Rollic’s Barbie Merge Mystery. However, the restructuring signals ambitions beyond managing existing live-service games—Mattel is preparing to launch new titles to directly compete with Monopoly Go’s market dominance.
The move reflects the growing profitability of mobile gaming and major publishers’ efforts to capture market share in the sector. By consolidating its gaming operations and recruiting experienced leadership from major publishers, Mattel aims to develop competitive hits in a market increasingly dominated by live-service games.