Mattel Launches Its Own Game Studio to Bring Barbie, Uno, and Hot Wheels to Video Games

Mattel has taken a decisive step to turn its classic toys into interactive franchises on consoles, PCs, and mobile devices. The US-based giant announced the founding of Mattel Game Studios, an internal division focused exclusively on developing, publishing, and managing proprietary digital games based on brands like Uno, Barbie, and Hot Wheels.

The new structure operates under the umbrella of Mattel Digital Studios, which previously handled licensed titles and external partnerships. Now, the company is unifying creation, publishing, and marketing strategies into a single workforce.

Global Structure and Focus on Original Games

Mattel Game Studios kicks off its journey with around 300 dedicated professionals spread across offices in Los Angeles, USA, and Hangzhou, China. The team includes artists, designers, programmers, producers, and live operations specialists—a model focused on keeping games active and profitable through constant content updates.

According to Marcus Liassides, global head of Mattel Digital Studios, the in-house studio provides the technical scale needed to build original experiences without abandoning strategic collaborations with other major studios in the market.

The Consolidation of Mattel163 and Financial Impact

The official launch of the new studio follows the move initiated in February 2026, when Mattel bought full control of Mattel163—a mobile developer originally created in partnership with Chinese company NetEase.

The acquisition is already showing results: Mattel163 generated nearly $49 million in revenue in the second quarter alone, as detailed by the company's CFO, Paul Ruh.

In its most recent financial report, Mattel recorded net sales of $1.1 billion, a 10% year-over-year increase. Despite the revenue growth, the period ended with a net loss of $18 million, compared to a profit of $53 million in the same quarter last year. The push into high-margin fronts like digital games aims to balance the company's profitability against the fluctuations of the physical toy industry.

Uno Wild and Upcoming Digital Releases

The division is already working with a practical timeline. Mattel Game Studios has begun the soft launch of Uno Wild, a regional technical test designed to calibrate the experience and audience engagement before the global debut.

The company's CEO, Ynon Kreiz, confirmed that Uno Wild has met all preliminary production targets and is set for global commercial distribution in early 2027. The project leads the brand's push to turn card games and analog toys into permanent digital ecosystems.