Shams Jorjani, the chief executive of Arrowhead Game Studios – the studio behind the upcoming Helldivers 2 – told GamesIndustry.biz during Gamescom that the video‑game sector is currently undergoing a profound transition. He argued that the formulas that guided developers and publishers throughout the 2010s have largely lost their relevance today. "Sometimes there’s been doom and gloom, but overall the games industry is doing well," he said, before emphasizing that the assumptions underpinning business models have been upended.
"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." Jorjani identified several forces driving this shift. One of the most visible is the continued rise of developers from the Asia‑Pacific region.
This year’s Gamescom Opening Night Live, for example, was dominated by showcases from Chinese and South Korean studios, underscoring how these markets are now capable of delivering high‑profile, globally competitive titles. "There’s always been a general rise of Asian games and companies into the West," Jorjani observed. "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 arrived at a tipping point in terms of quality and ambition. While the Chinese market remains heavily mobile‑centric – a factor that shapes design sensibilities – the speed at which games are produced is accelerating, a trend Jorjani attributes in part to artificial intelligence.
"It is definitely picking up for sure," he said. "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." The impact of AI, according to Jorjani, is perhaps the most unpredictable element on the horizon.
He noted that while past technologies such as virtual reality generated a lot of hype, AI is delivering a genuine transformation that varies dramatically between regions. In the West, developers are wrestling with ethical questions, data‑ownership concerns, and artistic integrity. "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," he explained.
By contrast, many Eastern studios appear far less hesitant. "In the East, they absolutely do not care whatsoever. Everyone’s shifted over to using AI completely and without any major moral qualms, 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," he said.
Jorjani believes this cultural divide will shape the speed of AI adoption: the West may lag, but it will eventually catch up. He added that the existential anxiety many Western developers feel – "the West will be slower on the uptake, but the uptake will still happen" – reflects a deeper tension between artistic ambition and the efficiency‑driven nature of software development. Beyond technology, the industry’s traditional development timelines remain a major obstacle to forecasting. AAA titles often require five to six years of work, coordinated across multiple studios and time zones.
This lengthy horizon pushes publishers toward established franchises and away from risky new IPs, especially in Western markets. "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," Jorjani said. Brand recognition, he argued, is the most reliable risk mitigator.
Players gravitate toward familiar names because they know what to expect, even if the experience isn’t groundbreaking. He cited the enduring popularity of titles like Worms as an example of how recognisability can cut through the "analysis paralysis" caused by an ever‑growing flood of releases. Data from Steam reinforces this point: roughly half of the games played on the platform are older than eighteen months, and a 2025 Steam Replay report showed that 44 % of user playtime was spent on titles between one and seven years old. Despite vocal calls for fresh experiences, consumers continue to purchase remakes and sequels more readily than entirely new concepts.
Arrowhead’s own success with Helldivers illustrates how a breakthrough can arise from a blend of luck and a distinctive "secret sauce" that makes a game instantly recognisable while still feeling unique. Jorjani highlighted the strategic advantage that indie developers possess in this environment. Companies like Riot Games and Supercell often juggle multiple projects, but a single hit can eclipse the rest, allowing smaller teams to capture attention more efficiently. "The secret sauce to any successful game is early validation," he asserted.
Indie studios can iterate quickly, sharing GIFs or short videos to gauge community reaction. When a concept resonates, developers know they are on the right track and can refine it before committing massive resources. He recalled the rapid rise of Tiny Glade, an indie title that exploded in popularity after early teaser GIFs went viral week after week.
Arrowhead plans to apply this early‑feedback model to its next project. Inspired by mobile‑gaming practices that test concepts through ad performance, the studio intends to put prototypes directly into the hands of a curated group of players as soon as possible. "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," Jorjani explained.
By segmenting the audience – for example, players who love aliens and already enjoy Helldivers – the team can measure how strongly the new concept resonates with its target demographic versus a broader control group. This data‑driven approach aims to confirm market fit early, rather than waiting years before a full‑scale launch. In closing, Jorjani warned that embracing this new methodology requires abandoning the old playbook of secrecy and long‑term speculation.
"It requires you to let go of that old playbook of playing your cards close to the chest for years, and then dazzle and razzle," he said, underscoring the need for transparency, rapid iteration, and a willingness to adapt to an industry that is, in his view, fundamentally reshaped by shifting assumptions, emerging regional powerhouses, and transformative AI technology.