Shams Jorjani, the chief executive of Arrowhead Game Studios—the studio behind the upcoming 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 largely lost their relevance in today’s rapidly evolving marketplace. "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 explained that several forces are driving this shift. One of the most visible is the continued rise of developers in the Asia‑Pacific region. This year’s Gamescom Opening Night Live, for instance, highlighted the capabilities of studios from China and South Korea, underscoring how Asian games are now regular fixtures on Western storefronts.
"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 reached a tipping point in terms of quality and ambition. While the Chinese market remains heavily mobile‑centric—a factor that shapes design sensibilities—developers are increasingly delivering experiences that compete on a global scale. Jorjani observed, "It is definitely picking up for sure.
I think that 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." Artificial intelligence, he argued, is perhaps the most disruptive technology the industry has faced in recent memory. Unlike previous hype cycles—such as virtual reality, which generated excitement but ultimately delivered modest commercial impact—AI is reshaping development pipelines, content creation, and even business models.
Yet its adoption is uneven across regions. In the West, developers grapple with ethical questions, data‑ownership concerns, and artistic integrity, often debating whether AI‑generated assets should be allowed at all.
In contrast, many Eastern studios appear to embrace AI pragmatically, focusing on efficiency rather than philosophical debate. "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," Jorjani said. He added that this cultural divide creates an existential tension for Western creators: "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. There’s a different attitude there.
The West will be slower on the uptake, but the uptake will still happen." Beyond technology, Jorjani highlighted the structural challenge of long development cycles for AAA titles. A typical blockbuster can require five to six years of work, involving multiple studios across different time zones and massive budgets.
This reality pushes publishers toward safer bets—sequels, remakes, or established IPs—because the financial risk of a brand‑new concept is magnified when the time horizon is so extended. "If you know that and the market is changing, you need to be very certain that the bet you’re taking works," he explained. "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." Jorjani pointed to the phenomenon of "analysis paralysis" that afflicts consumers inundated with an ever‑growing catalogue of releases. When faced with dozens of announcements, players often gravitate toward familiar names. "You might recognise Worms, for example; it’s been around forever. You know these ten other games announced two days ago are probably super cool; you might individually click through them to form an opinion.
With Worms, you know what you’re getting." Data supports this tendency. Steam’s 2025 replay report indicated that roughly 44 % of total playtime was spent on titles between one and seven years old, meaning half of gamers were still engaging with older games rather than brand‑new releases. While there is vocal demand for fresh IP, purchasing behavior tends to favor proven franchises, remasters, or sequels. Arrowhead’s own experience with Helldivers illustrates how a combination of luck, distinctive design, and strong brand identity can break through the noise.
Jorjani also referenced companies like Riot Games and Supercell, which often juggle multiple projects simultaneously. When one title becomes a runaway hit, the others can fade into obscurity, underscoring the importance of early validation. "The secret sauce to any successful game is early validation," he said. "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." Indie developers excel at this rapid feedback loop because their cycles are shorter and they tend to share progress openly—posting GIFs, demos, or early builds to gauge community reaction. Jorjani cited the indie hit Tiny Glade as an example: early animated snippets generated viral buzz week after week, guiding the team’s direction well before a full launch. In contrast, a four‑year AAA cycle that waits until a game is finished before a massive marketing push risks missing the optimal moment for audience engagement.
Arrowhead intends to adopt this indie‑style approach for its next project. The studio is experimenting with a mobile‑marketing‑inspired model, where concepts are presented to consumers as short ads or playable snippets, and the most resonant ideas are prioritized.
"We’re going to be putting it in the hands of players right away as soon as possible," Jorjani affirmed. "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." By segmenting the test group—looking for players who love aliens, enjoy Helldivers, and respond positively to the new prototype—the studio can identify a niche audience that is more likely to champion the final product. This data‑driven, early‑stage validation allows Arrowhead to refine gameplay, art direction, and narrative focus long before the traditional marketing crescendo.
In summary, Jorjani’s outlook paints a picture of an industry at a crossroads: longer development timelines, the ascendancy of Asian studios, and the transformative impact of AI are reshaping how games are made, marketed, and consumed. While these forces introduce uncertainty, they also open doors for smaller, more agile developers who can iterate quickly, gather real‑time feedback, and target precise player segments.
Arrowhead’s strategy—leveraging early validation, embracing AI tools, and learning from mobile‑first practices—illustrates how a mid‑size studio can navigate the new landscape and stay competitive amid the shifting sands of the modern gaming world.