Shams Jorjani, the chief executive of Arrowhead Game Studios – the team behind Helldivers 2 – recently told GamesIndustry.biz at Gamescom that the video‑game sector is undergoing a profound transition. He argued that the assumptions and playbooks that guided developers and publishers throughout the 2010s have essentially become obsolete. "There have been moments of doom‑and‑gloom, but overall the industry is healthy," Jorjani explained.
"What’s changed is that the foundations of our expectations have shifted dramatically. The formulas that worked from 2010 to 2020 simply don’t apply any longer.
The bottom line has vanished from every business case you once relied on. No one ever knew exactly how many copies a title would sell, but they at least assumed a baseline.
Take that number and subtract one – that’s the new reality." He identified several forces driving this upheaval. One of the most visible is the continued rise of developers in the Asia‑Pacific region.
This year’s Gamescom Opening Night Live highlighted the impressive capabilities of studios from China and South Korea, underscoring a trend that has been building for a decade but now appears in a steady stream of high‑quality releases. "Asian games and companies have been making inroads into the Western market for ten years," Jorjani said. "Now it’s not just occasional hits – it’s game after game, consistently delivering strong products." China, in particular, seems to have reached a tipping point in terms of production values and design sophistication.
While the Chinese market remains heavily mobile‑centric – a factor that shapes the aesthetic and mechanical sensibilities of its developers – the speed at which new titles appear is accelerating, a momentum Jorjani attributes partly to artificial intelligence. "AI is speeding everything up," he noted. "More games are being built faster, and they’re appearing everywhere." The CEO emphasized that AI is not just another hype cycle like virtual reality once was; it represents a structural shift with unpredictable consequences for the next five to ten years.
However, the adoption of AI varies dramatically between regions. In the West, developers wrestle with ethical questions, data‑ownership concerns, and artistic integrity. In contrast, many Eastern studios appear less restrained, focusing on practical output rather than philosophical debate.
"In the West we ask whether AI is ethical, whether companies should be allowed to train on certain data, and whether we should resist it on ideological or artistic grounds," Jorjani said. "In the East, there’s far less hesitation – they just use it because it works. It’s similar to what I see among my friends in the broader IT sector: they’ve switched to AI tools without much moral qualm because the goal is functional code, not a human‑to‑human artistic experience." He acknowledged that this cultural split could lead to an "existential crisis" for Western game creators, who must reconcile their identity as artists with the functional, efficiency‑driven nature of AI‑generated software.
Still, Jorjani expects the West to eventually catch up, albeit at a slower pace. Beyond technology, Jorjani highlighted the structural challenge of long development cycles for AAA titles. Major projects often span five or six years and involve multiple teams across different time zones. This reality has pushed many Western publishers to lean on established franchises rather than gamble on brand‑new IPs, because recognizable names provide a safety net in an increasingly volatile market.
"Development timelines remain lengthy," he said. "When you know that and you also see the market shifting, you have to be absolutely sure that the gamble you’re taking will pay off. The only real risk mitigator at that scale is brand recognition. Players know what they’re getting, which reduces uncertainty." He illustrated this point with the concept of "analysis paralysis": with a flood of new releases, consumers can become overwhelmed.
A familiar series like Worms offers instant clarity – you know the core gameplay and style – whereas a brand‑new title, no matter how innovative, must first earn trust. Statistics support this intuition.
Steam data from 2025 indicated that roughly 44 % of total playtime was spent on games that were between one and seven years old, meaning that half of the activity is concentrated on titles that are not brand‑new. While gamers vocalize a desire for fresh experiences, their purchasing habits often favor remakes, sequels, or established franchises. Jorjani pointed to Arrowhead’s own fortunate break with Helldivers as an example of how a combination of luck and a distinctive “secret sauce” can propel a studio into the spotlight. He also referenced companies like Riot Games and Supercell, which routinely juggle multiple projects; when one becomes a smash hit, the others fade into the background, creating space for smaller, more agile developers to shine.
"The secret to a successful game is early validation," Jorjani asserted. "The sooner you can show something to a player and receive positive feedback, the more confidence you have that you’re on the right track, and you can iterate quickly. That’s the advantage of software development and indie creation." Indie studios often share progress openly – posting GIFs, short videos, or prototype screenshots. When the community reacts positively, it serves as a powerful indicator that the concept resonates.
Jorjani cited the indie hit Tiny Glade, which gained momentum after early GIFs went viral week after week. In contrast, a four‑year AAA cycle that waits until a finished product to launch a massive marketing push lacks that iterative feedback loop.
Arrowhead intends to incorporate this early‑validation mindset into its next project. The studio is also borrowing tactics from mobile developers, who routinely test concepts through ad campaigns and track which creative assets perform best before committing to full production. "We’ll put the game in players’ hands as early as possible," he said.
"Our philosophy has always been to create experiences for a specific type of connoisseur, not just any action‑game fan. We might give a prototype to a hundred Helldivers veterans, ask them about their favorite IPs, and see how they respond to alien themes versus other genres. If that group rates the prototype higher than a control group that loves Helldivers but not aliens, we know we’ve hit the right niche.
Doing this early, rather than waiting two years for broad user testing, is crucial." In summary, Jorjani argues that the industry must abandon the old playbook of keeping projects under wraps for years and then unveiling them with a flash of spectacle. Instead, developers should embrace rapid, data‑driven validation, leverage AI responsibly, and recognize the growing influence of Asian studios. By doing so, both established and independent creators can navigate the shifting landscape and find sustainable success.