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 formulas that guided developers and publishers throughout the 2010s have largely lost their relevance in today’s market.
"There have been moments of doom‑and‑gloom, but overall the industry is healthy," Jorjani remarked. "What’s changed is that the foundations of our assumptions have been rewritten. The playbooks that served us from 2010 to 2020 simply don’t work anymore. The bottom line has been ripped out of every business case you once trusted.
No one could predict a title’s sales with certainty, but they would still assume a minimum figure. Take that number and subtract it entirely—that’s the new reality." He identified several forces driving this shift.
One of the most visible is the continued rise of developers in the Asia‑Pacific region. This year’s Gamescom Opening Night Live, for instance, highlighted the capabilities of studios from China and South Korea, underscoring a broader trend of Asian games making inroads into Western markets. "There’s been a steady influx of Asian companies into the West for about a decade," Jorjani explained. "Now we’re seeing game after game from that region breaking through and gaining global attention." China, in particular, appears to have reached a tipping point in terms of quality.
While the Chinese market remains heavily mobile‑centric—a factor that shapes design sensibilities—its developers are accelerating production speeds, a trend Jorjani attributes in part to artificial intelligence. "The Chinese scene is definitely picking up," he said. "There’s still room to grow, but the sensibilities are evolving fast.
AI is pushing that acceleration, allowing more titles to be released at a blistering pace worldwide." Artificial intelligence, according to Jorjani, introduces a level of unpredictability that makes long‑term forecasting especially tricky. He noted that AI adoption varies dramatically between regions.
In the West, discussions often center on ethics, data ownership, and artistic integrity, whereas many Eastern studios appear less concerned with those debates and more focused on practical implementation. "In the West we’re asking whether AI is ethical, whether companies should be allowed to train on certain data, and whether we should resist it on ideological grounds," he observed. "In the East, there’s little hesitation—developers simply adopt AI because it works. It’s similar to what I see among my friends in the broader tech sector: everyone has moved to AI‑driven workflows without moral qualms, because when you’re building functional code you’re not trying to craft an emotional experience." Jorjani admitted that Western developers may experience an "existential crisis" as AI blurs the line between artistic creation and software engineering.
He believes the West will be slower to integrate AI, but that adoption is inevitable. Beyond AI, another challenge for the industry is the sheer length of AAA development cycles. Large‑scale projects often span five to six years and involve multiple teams across different time zones. This reality has encouraged publishers, especially in the West, to lean on established franchises rather than invest heavily in brand‑new intellectual property.
"Development cycles remain long," Jorjani said. "When you know that and the market is shifting, you need a very safe bet.
Brand recognition is the biggest risk mitigator. Players know what they’re getting with a familiar name, which helps offset uncertainty." He pointed out that the flood of new releases can lead to "analysis paralysis" for consumers.
While a title like Worms is instantly recognizable, dozens of fresh announcements can overwhelm players, making them gravitate toward known properties. Statistics support this behavior: Steam data from 2025 indicated that 44 % of user playtime was spent on games between one and seven years old, and roughly half of all Steam sessions involved titles older than 18 months. Despite vocal calls for novel experiences, many gamers still purchase remakes or sequels rather than untested new IPs.
Jorjani highlighted the advantage indie developers hold in this environment. Companies such as Riot Games or Supercell often juggle multiple projects, but a single hit can eclipse the rest, allowing them to allocate resources elsewhere. Indie studios, however, can iterate quickly and validate concepts early.
"The secret sauce for any successful game is early validation," he asserted. "The sooner you can show something to a player and get positive feedback, the more confidence you have to iterate. Indie teams excel at this because their cycles are short and they share progress openly—posting a GIF, for example, and watching the community react." He cited the indie hit Tiny Glade as an example: early visual teasers generated viral interest week after week, a momentum that would be impossible to achieve with a four‑year development timeline that waits for a finished product before marketing. Arrowhead is adopting this approach for its next project.
The studio plans to involve a select group of dedicated Helldivers fans early in development, gathering detailed feedback about their favorite genres and themes. By testing concepts with a targeted audience—such as players who love alien settings and the Helldivers brand—the team can gauge whether a new idea resonates before committing extensive resources. "We’ll put the prototype in the hands of about a hundred Helldivers enthusiasts and ask them about their preferred IPs," Jorjani explained.
"If they love aliens and enjoy Helldivers, we know we’re on the right track. This early data lets us refine the game now rather than waiting two years for broad user testing." He concluded by emphasizing the need to abandon the old playbook of keeping projects under wraps for years before a grand reveal. Instead, Arrowhead intends to embrace transparency, rapid feedback loops, and a more experimental mindset—strategies that he believes will empower both indie creators and established studios to navigate the uncertain, AI‑driven future of gaming.