Shams Jorjani, the chief executive of Arrowhead Game Studios – the studio behind Helldivers 2 – recently told GamesIndustry.biz at Gamescom that the video‑game sector is undergoing a profound transitional period. He emphasized that the assumptions and playbooks that guided developers and publishers throughout the 2010s have 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 remarked.
"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 intertwined forces are driving this shift.
One major factor is the continued ascent of developers from the Asia‑Pacific region. The Opening Night Live showcase at this year’s Gamescom highlighted the impressive output of studios from China and South Korea, underscoring how Asian games are increasingly dominating global conversations. "There’s always been a general rise of Asian games and companies into the West," Jorjani said. "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 be at a tipping point in terms of quality and ambition.
While the Chinese market remains heavily mobile‑centric – a fact that shapes design sensibilities – the speed at which titles are produced is accelerating, a trend Jorjani attributes in part to artificial intelligence. "It is definitely picking up for sure," he noted.
"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." AI, Jorjani argued, is a game‑changing technology that injects a high degree of uncertainty into forecasting the next five or ten years of the industry.
While previous hype cycles—such as virtual reality—have fizzled, AI is delivering tangible shifts in development pipelines, asset creation, and even design iteration. "For AI, I think it is more transformative in a completely different way.
It’s also interesting to see the difference between East and West in our adoption and approach to AI," he explained. "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. There are parallels to those of us who have friends in the IT industry; everyone’s shifted over to using AI completely and without any major moral kind of, not even qualms, but it’s just because, at the end of the day, if you’re making functional code, you’re not making entertainment where you’re trying to connect with other humans." Jorjani acknowledged that Western developers are experiencing an "existential crisis" as they grapple with the artistic implications of AI‑generated content.
He described himself as an artist who also values functional software, noting that the West’s more cautious stance may slow adoption but will not stop it. Beyond technology, the length of development cycles for AAA titles remains a critical challenge. Large‑scale projects often span five to six years and involve multiple studios across different time zones.
This lengthy horizon pushes publishers toward familiar, established IPs rather than risky new concepts, especially in Western markets. "There are multiple forces happening at the same time," Jorjani said.
"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 illustrated this point with the example of classic franchises like Worms, which benefit from instant brand recognition even if their gameplay isn’t groundbreaking. Data from Steam Replay 2025 shows that roughly 44 % of user playtime is spent on titles that are between one and seven years old, indicating that gamers often gravitate toward familiar experiences rather than untested new IPs. "People scream for new games and IPs, but they don’t actually buy them. We tend to buy remakes," Jorjani observed.
"That’s where we were at least very fortunate with Helldivers, in the sense that we were one of the lucky few who were able to get a breakthrough and establish ourselves. And that came through a certain bit of luck and the secret sauce that goes into making the game. It makes it recognisable, but also its own thing." He pointed to companies like Riot Games and Supercell, which maintain a portfolio of multiple projects simultaneously.
When one title becomes a hit, the others often fade into the background, creating space for smaller, more agile developers to capture attention. "The secret sauce to any successful game is early validation," Jorjani 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." Indie studios, according to Jorjani, excel at this rapid feedback loop.
They frequently share early builds, GIFs, or concept art on social media, gauging community reaction in real time. The success story of the indie title Tiny Glade, which exploded in popularity after a series of early GIFs went viral, exemplifies this approach.
In contrast, a four‑year development cycle that waits until a game is fully finished before launching a massive marketing push lacks the flexibility to pivot based on player sentiment. Arrowhead intends to adopt the indie mindset for its upcoming project, borrowing tactics from mobile developers who test concepts via ad creatives before committing to full production.
"We’re going to be putting it in the hands of players right away as soon as possible," Jorjani 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. There’s a very specific subset of those that we’re particularly interested in.
If they’re interested in aliens and they like Helldivers and they like the game they’re playing with us, 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." Jorjani concluded by emphasizing that the old playbook—keeping a project under wraps for years before a big reveal—must be abandoned in favor of continuous, transparent engagement with the community.
This shift, he believes, will empower both established studios and indie creators to navigate the uncertain, AI‑infused future of gaming while still delivering experiences that resonate with dedicated fans. In summary, the gaming landscape is being reshaped by longer development timelines, the surge of Asian developers, and the disruptive potential of AI.
While these forces create volatility, they also open doors for smaller teams that can validate ideas quickly, iterate based on real‑world feedback, and target niche audiences with precision. Arrowhead’s own strategy—early player involvement, data‑driven iteration, and a willingness to let go of legacy assumptions—illustrates how a studio can thrive amid the industry’s fundamental transformation.