Shams Jorjani, 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 transition. He argues that the playbooks that guided developers and publishers throughout the 2010s have essentially become obsolete. "Sometimes there’s been doom and gloom, but overall the games industry is doing well," Jorjani said. "It’s just that the things 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." Several forces are driving this shift. One major factor is the continued rise of developers in the Asia‑Pacific region.
This year’s Gamescom Opening Night Live highlighted the growing capabilities of studios from China and South Korea, underscoring a trend that has been building for roughly a decade. "There’s always been a general rise of Asian games and companies into the West," Jorjani explained. "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 the quality and ambition of its output.
While the Chinese market remains heavily mobile‑centric—a fact that shapes design sensibilities—developers are increasingly delivering experiences that rival traditional console titles. Jorjani noted, "It is definitely picking up for sure. 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." Artificial intelligence, perhaps more than any other recent technology, has injected a new level of uncertainty into the industry’s future. Jorjani contrasted the divergent attitudes toward AI in the West and the East.
In Western markets, developers wrestle with ethical questions, data‑training rights, and artistic integrity. In many Eastern studios, the conversation is far more pragmatic: AI tools are adopted quickly and without moral hesitation because they simply make code and content production more efficient. "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," he said. Beyond technology, the sheer length of development cycles for AAA titles remains a critical challenge. Large‑scale projects often span five to six years and require coordination across multiple studios and time zones.
This reality pushes many Western publishers to lean on established franchises rather than gamble on brand‑new intellectual property. Jorjani explained, "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 phenomenon of “analysis paralysis” that hits consumers when faced with an ever‑growing flood of releases.
A familiar name like Worms instantly conveys expectations, whereas a fresh IP must earn its credibility from scratch. Market data supports this tendency: a recent Steam report showed that roughly half of all playtime is spent on games older than 18 months, indicating that players often gravitate toward known titles rather than untested newcomers. Nevertheless, Jorjani believes indie developers possess a strategic edge in this environment. Their shorter cycles, open development processes, and ability to gather early feedback allow them to iterate quickly and reduce risk.
He highlighted the importance of early validation, stating, "The secret sauce to any successful game is early validation. 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 itself is applying this mindset to its upcoming project.
Inspired by mobile‑gaming practices that test concepts through ads and micro‑campaigns, the studio plans to place a prototype directly into the hands of a carefully selected group of players. Jorjani described the approach: "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, we know we 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 summary, Jorjani paints a picture of an industry where long‑standing assumptions have been upended by shifting geographic power balances, AI‑driven acceleration, and the enduring weight of development timelines.
While these forces introduce volatility, they also open doors for smaller, more agile creators who can validate ideas quickly and connect with niche audiences. Arrowhead’s own strategy—embracing early player feedback, leveraging brand recognition, and staying adaptable to AI advancements—exemplifies how a studio can navigate the new landscape while still honoring its artistic roots.