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 argued that the formulas and assumptions that guided developers and publishers throughout the 2010s have largely lost their relevance today. "There have been moments of pessimism, but overall the industry is healthy," Jorjani said. "What’s changed is that the foundations of our expectations have shifted dramatically.
The playbooks that served us from 2010 to 2020 simply don’t work anymore. The bottom line of every business case has been erased. No one could predict a title’s sales with confidence, and the numbers we once took for granted have effectively been reduced to zero.
That’s the new reality." He identified several key drivers behind 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, highlighted the growing capabilities of studios in China and South Korea. "Asian games and companies have been making inroads into the Western market for a decade," Jorjani explained, "but now we’re seeing a steady stream of high‑quality releases that are reshaping the landscape." China, in particular, appears to have reached a tipping point in terms of production quality.
Jorjani noted that while the Chinese market remains heavily mobile‑oriented—a factor that influences design sensibilities—the overall pace of development is accelerating, a trend he attributes in part to artificial intelligence. "AI is speeding everything up. Games are being produced faster and faster across the globe," he said.
The impact of AI, he argued, adds a layer of unpredictability to the industry’s future. While past technologies such as virtual reality generated hype that eventually settled into niche markets, AI feels fundamentally different. "In the West we’re debating ethics, data‑training rights, and artistic integrity," Jorjani observed. "In the East, there’s far less hesitation—companies adopt AI wholesale because they need functional code, not because they’re trying to craft a human‑centric artistic experience." He acknowledged that this cultural divide creates an "existential crisis" for many Western developers who view games as artistic expressions.
"When you turn art into software, the conversation changes. The West will adopt AI more slowly, but the shift is inevitable," he added. Beyond technology, Jorjani highlighted the challenge posed by the long development cycles typical of AAA titles.
Large‑scale projects often require five or six years and coordination across multiple studios and time zones. This reality has driven many Western publishers to lean on established franchises rather than gamble on new intellectual property.
"When development timelines are lengthy, you need a safety net," he explained. "A recognizable brand reduces risk because players know what they’re getting." He illustrated this point with the phenomenon of "analysis paralysis" that arises when consumers are bombarded with a constant flow of new releases. Familiar names—such as Worms, a series that has existed for decades—provide a comforting shortcut for decision‑making. Even if a game isn’t groundbreaking, brand recognition can sustain sales.
Steam data from 2025 showed that roughly 44 % of playtime was spent on titles between one and seven years old, underscoring the market’s appetite for proven properties over untested ideas. Nevertheless, Jorjani praised the strategic advantage that indie developers possess. Companies like Riot Games or Supercell often juggle several projects simultaneously; a single breakout hit can eclipse the rest, leaving smaller titles unnoticed.
Indie studios, however, can iterate quickly and validate concepts early. "The secret sauce of any successful game is early validation," he said.
"When you can show a prototype or even a short GIF to the community and receive positive feedback, you know you’re on the right track and can adjust before committing massive resources." He cited the indie success of Tiny Glade as an example: early visual teasers generated viral interest week after week, demonstrating how rapid community feedback can replace a four‑year, closed‑door development cycle. Arrowhead itself is adopting a similar approach for its next project, drawing inspiration from mobile‑game studios that test concepts through ad campaigns and user metrics before full production. "We’ll get the game into players’ hands as soon as possible," Jorjani promised. "Our philosophy has always been to cater to a specific type of connoisseur, not just any action‑game fan.
We’ll hand a prototype to a hundred dedicated Helldivers players, ask them about their favorite IPs, and see how they react to alien‑themed content. If that group rates the experience higher than a control group that loves Helldivers but not aliens, we’ll know we’ve hit the right niche.
Doing this early, rather than waiting two years for broad testing, is the way forward." In closing, he warned that this methodology requires abandoning the old playbook of secrecy and delayed reveals. "You have to let go of the habit of keeping your cards close to the chest for years, then unveiling a polished product with a big marketing splash. Early, transparent engagement is now the key to navigating an industry where assumptions have been upended and the only constant is change."