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 transition. He argues that the playbooks and assumptions 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 observes. "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 upheaval. One of the most visible is the continued rise of developers from the Asia‑Pacific region. This year’s Gamescom Opening Night Live highlighted the capabilities of studios from China and South Korea, underscoring a decade‑long trend that has now reached a tipping point. "There’s always been a general rise of Asian games and companies into the West," Jorjani says.
"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, is producing higher‑quality titles than ever before. While the Chinese market remains heavily mobile‑centric—shaping design sensibilities toward shorter sessions and free‑to‑play mechanics—its developers are increasingly experimenting with larger, more ambitious projects. Jorjani notes that AI is accelerating this evolution, allowing studios to iterate faster and bring games to market at unprecedented speed.
Artificial intelligence, according to Jorjani, is the most disruptive technological trend the industry has seen since the advent of virtual reality. He points out a stark cultural divide in how the West and the East approach AI.
In Western markets, developers wrestle with ethical questions, data‑training rights, and artistic integrity. In contrast, many Eastern studios appear less concerned with those debates, focusing instead on practical implementation to boost productivity. "When you introduce AI to it, I understand that Western game developers have an existential crisis," he explains. "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." Beyond AI, the sheer length of development cycles for AAA titles adds another layer of uncertainty. Large‑scale games often require five to six years of work, coordinated across multiple studios and time zones. This prolonged timeline makes it risky to gamble on brand‑new intellectual property, especially when market conditions can shift dramatically before a game even ships. As a result, publishers in the West have leaned heavily on established franchises, betting on brand recognition to mitigate risk.
Jorjani explains, "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 also highlights a phenomenon known as "analysis paralysis," where the flood of new releases overwhelms consumers, prompting them to gravitate toward familiar names.
Data from Steam Replay 2025 shows that roughly 44 % of playtime comes from titles that are between one and seven years old, indicating that players often stick with games they already know. While there is vocal demand for fresh IP, actual purchasing behavior tends to favor remakes, sequels, and established series. Indie developers, however, enjoy a strategic advantage in this environment. Jorjani cites companies like Riot Games and Supercell, which juggle multiple projects simultaneously; a single breakout hit can eclipse the rest of their pipeline.
For smaller studios, early validation—getting a prototype or even a short GIF in front of players quickly—provides critical feedback that can shape the final product. "The secret sauce to any successful game is early validation," he says.
"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." Arrowhead itself is adopting this rapid‑feedback model for its upcoming project. Inspired by mobile‑gaming practices that test concepts through ad performance, the studio plans to place early builds directly into the hands of a curated group of players.
Jorjani describes 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, like Helldivers, and they enjoy the prototype, we know we’re hitting the right niche.
That allows us to iterate early rather than waiting two years for broad user tests." In summary, Jorjani believes the industry is at a crossroads where long‑standing assumptions no longer hold. The confluence of longer development timelines, the surge of high‑quality Asian studios, and the disruptive potential of AI creates a landscape that is both uncertain and full of opportunity.
While Western publishers may move cautiously, grappling with ethical concerns and slower adoption rates, indie developers can thrive by embracing rapid iteration, early community feedback, and targeted niche marketing. Arrowhead’s strategy—leveraging early validation and focusing on a specific connoisseur audience—exemplifies how smaller studios can navigate this new reality and potentially outpace larger competitors in an era where the old playbooks have been left behind.