Shams Jorjani, the chief executive of Arrowhead Game Studios – the team behind Helldivers 2 – told GamesIndustry.biz at Gamescom that the video‑game sector is undergoing a profound transition. He argued that the playbooks that guided developers and publishers throughout the 2010s have lost their relevance, and that the industry now operates under a completely different set of assumptions. "Sometimes there’s been doom and gloom, but overall the games industry is doing well," Jorjani said.
"It’s just that the things that we based our assumptions on have changed fundamentally. The playbooks used from 2010 to 2020 no longer work. The bottom has fallen out of every business case that you had.
No one knew how well a game would sell, but they assumed it would sell at least this much. Whatever that number was, take a zero away. And that’s the reality." He identified three interlocking forces behind the shift.
First, the steady rise of developers from the Asia‑Pacific region is reshaping the global market. This year’s Gamescom Opening Night Live, for instance, highlighted the capabilities of studios from China and South Korea, underscoring how Asian titles are now a regular part of the Western conversation.
"There’s always been a general rise of Asian games and companies into the West," Jorjani noted. "That’s been ongoing for the last ten years, but now it’s reached a point where it’s game after game after game that’s really making it." China, in particular, appears to have hit a quality tipping point. While the Chinese market remains heavily mobile‑centric, that focus has cultivated a fast‑moving development culture. Jorjani believes artificial intelligence is accelerating this momentum, allowing studios to iterate and ship titles at an unprecedented pace.
"It is definitely picking up for sure," he said. "I think there’s still a way to go, but there are very different sensibilities to what makes the games tick as well. The Chinese audience is still primarily mobile‑driven.
That flavours the sensibilities, but it’s going faster. I think AI is accelerating this because more and more games are coming out faster and faster everywhere." The second driver is the disruptive influence of artificial intelligence. Jorjani warned that AI introduces a level of market volatility that makes medium‑term forecasting extremely challenging.
He contrasted the ethical debate dominating the West with the pragmatic, almost indifferent, adoption seen in the East. "In the West, we’re asking if it is ethical and whether these companies are allowed to train on this data, and whether we should oppose it on ideological or artistic grounds. Whereas in the East, they absolutely do not care whatsoever," he explained. "When you introduce AI to it, I understand that Western game developers have an existential crisis.
I am an artist, and I’m also connecting with people on an artistic level, but when you make it into software, it’s just functional. The West will be slower on the uptake, but the uptake will still happen." The third factor is the sheer length of AAA development cycles.
Large‑scale projects often span five to six years and involve multiple teams spread across continents. Because of this, publishers have leaned heavily on established franchises and recognizable brands to mitigate risk.
Jorjani pointed out that brand familiarity reduces uncertainty for both investors and players. "Development cycles are still long. If you know that and the market is changing, you need to be very certain that the bet you’re taking works.
The only thing that really, really mitigates risk on that level is brand and recognisability. People know what they’re getting, so you can offset that risk," he said. He cited the example of classic series like Worms, where the name alone gives players a clear expectation, even if the gameplay isn’t groundbreaking. Data from Steam supports this trend: a significant portion of playtime is still devoted to titles that are more than a year old, indicating that gamers often gravitate toward familiar experiences rather than untested new IPs.
While there is vocal demand for fresh ideas, actual purchasing behavior leans toward remakes and sequels. Jorjani believes indie developers possess a strategic edge in this environment.
Because smaller studios can iterate quickly and obtain early feedback, they can validate concepts far sooner than AAA teams that wait for a finished product before launching a marketing blitz. He illustrated this with the story of Tiny Glade, an indie hit that gained momentum after a simple GIF went viral.
"The secret sauce to any successful game is early validation," he asserted. "The sooner you can get something in front of a person and get positive feedback, you know you’re on track, onto something, and you can iterate. That’s the strength of software development." Arrowhead is applying this philosophy to its next project. Jorjani said the studio plans to involve a select group of dedicated Helldivers players early in the development process, using their preferences to shape the game’s direction.
By testing specific themes—such as alien‑focused narratives—against a control group, the team hopes to pinpoint the most resonant design choices before committing extensive resources. "We’re going to be putting it in the hands of players right away as soon as possible," he explained.
"Our philosophy has always been that we want to make games for a certain type of connoisseur. We don’t want just any action player fan. We want a specific one. So we’ll probably put the game in the hands of 100 Helldivers players, and then we’ll ask them what their favourite IPs or games are.
If they’re interested in aliens and they like Helldivers, then we know that they should score the game higher than the control group that all like Helldivers but aliens isn’t their favourite. That will allow us to know that we’re able to hit that specific group, and we should do this now, early into development rather than waiting two years after getting broad user tests." In closing, Jorjani cautioned that the industry must abandon the old habit of keeping projects hidden for years before a grand reveal. Instead, developers should embrace transparency, rapid prototyping, and continuous community interaction. By doing so, they can navigate the uncertain terrain created by longer development timelines, the ascent of Asian studios, and the transformative power of AI, while still delivering experiences that resonate with dedicated players.