After paying roughly US$150 million to fully own Mattel163, a joint-venture with NetEase to make mobile games, Mattel wants to make mobile gaming a top priority.

Since launching in 2017, the division has put out four games based on Mattel IPs: UNO! Mobile, UNO Wonder, Phase 10: World Tour and Skip-Bo Mobile. The games have racked up a combined player base of roughly 20 million monthly active users and have been downloaded more than 550 million times, according to Mattel.

With Mattel now set to develop and publish its own games, and a new title on the way this year, SVP and head of digital Marcus Liassides talked to Kidscreen‘s Ryan Tuchow about why the house of Barbie and Hot Wheels is primed for its biggest gaming year yet.

RT: Walk us through Mattel’s mobile gaming strategy.

ML: The vision for Mattel Digital Studios is to extend physical play to the virtual world.

Our mobile strategy has evolved to incorporate several strategic pillars. We continue to work with best-in-class licensing partners, but we are now also building stronger internal capabilities so we can develop and publish our own games, with our first debut coming later this year.

With Mattel’s recent acquisition of Mattel163, mobile publishing is now fully integrated into a broader Mattel Digital Studios ecosystem.

RT: Why acquire Mattel163?

ML: The acquisition closed at the beginning of March. Mattel163 has already demonstrated strong performance across its four games. Partnerships will always be an important part of our strategy, but bringing more capabilities in-house gives us greater control over quality, creative direction, and long-term value creation. It allows us to move faster, iterate more effectively, and build a direct relationship with our players.

Our acquisition of Mattel163 gives us deeper, scaled capabilities across development, publishing and performance marketing, which allows us to accelerate output in a more disciplined way. It’s not about volume for volume’s sake, but about building a sustainable pipeline of high-quality experiences.

RT: What are Mattel’s plans for gaming?

ML: Mobile is an enormous priority for us. We see it as a meaningful growth driver, which is why we are investing in both talent and infrastructure.

We are targeting our first self-published titles this year and are not confined to a fixed number of releases per year. Instead, we are prioritizing the right experiences for the right brands, and timing them to align with broader brand moments, in line with Mattel’s brand-centric model.

RT: What has the response to Mattel’s mobile games been like? 

ML: The two UNO mobile games, which have so far been published by Mattel163, have been a major success.

UNO has also seen success on Fortnite recently, with UNO Royale debuting as the top party game on the platform during launch weekend. Mattel Match, one of our licensed games, is an example of our agile gaming strategy, which focuses on building long-term engagement.

Mattel’s mobile games have racked up a combined player base of roughly 20 million monthly active users and have been downloaded more than 550 million times.

RT: What goes into translating a Mattel brand to mobile?

ML: It starts with embracing what makes each brand distinct. We focus on preserving the tone, characters and core play patterns that audiences already love while adapting the experience to what works on digital platforms and where we can bring innovation to the gameplay experience.

A big part of that is recognizing how our brands live across generations, with adult nostalgia being a key factor. We intentionally design experiences that will resonate with longtime fans, while still being accessible to new players.

In some cases, like UNO, the transition is very natural. In others, it requires more iteration, testing and refinement. We take a disciplined approach, using the right development model for each brand and making sure the final experience feels authentic rather than forced.

RT: Outside of mobile, what plans does Mattel have in gaming? 

ML: Ultimately, we aim to meet our fans wherever they are, whether that is through digital experiences we develop and publish ourselves or through collaboration with best-in-class studios and licensing partners.

We’re active across mobile, console, PC, online, and even in-car experiences, as well as UGC platforms like Roblox and Fortnite. With a strong pipeline across all these areas, 2026 is shaping up to be our biggest year yet.

UNO Wonder is one of the four games based on Mattel IPs that Mattel 163 has put out, and more games are on the way.

RT: What are you most excited about when it comes to Mattel’s gaming strategy?

ML: We are building Mattel’s digital games capabilities from scratch. We now have multiple paths to market, stronger internal expertise and a clear strategy for how our brands can live, grow and delight fans in digital spaces.

This combination gives us the ability to create more meaningful, always-on experiences for fans and to do it in a way that is scalable and sustainable.

Images courtesy of Mattel.