Shams Jorjani will take over from founder Johan Pilestedt, who will retain the role of creative director and chairman of the board of directors. The hiring of Jorjani responds to the need to give Arrowhead Games Studios structure and leadership, while freeing up Pilestedt so he can devote more time to game development. The studio has grown a lot in recent years, it exceeds 120 employees and wants to continue growing to create more titles, so Pilestedt found himself at the crossroads of choosing between being a full-time executive director or creative director. He chose the latter.
Jorjani’s experience in the video game industry dates back to Paradox Interactive’s beginnings as employee number 23. His first assignment was to oversee Magicka, the successful debut game from Arrowhead Games Studios. He also lent a hand with The Showdown Effect, which didn’t do as well. Their paths parted after a drunken night in a hotel in Iceland, when Jorjani and Pilestedt decided they would not make Magicka 2. However, they kept in touch and when Jorjani left Paradox in 2021 he began advising Arrowhead on the development of Helldivers. II.
“My job is to make him [Pilestedt] and other creatives can develop more games. And that matters to the players too. […] because Pilestedt will have more time,” says Jorjani. As CEO, Jorjani will also have to help Arrowhead deal with the impact of the success of Helldivers II, which is on a totally different level than the first installment or Magicka. In this sense, the The studio has had to deal with server capacity, the PlayStation Network controversy, the problems inherent to a game as a service, including toxic players, and the threats that developers receive.
Although the success of Helldivers II is due in part to its ability to attract many players who may not have found what they expected, Arrowhead does not plan to change one bit. The studio’s motto and philosophy is “a game for everyone is a game for no one,” says Shams. In other words, if you don’t like friendly fire, you better find another game. For his part, Pilestedt remembers that frustration is part of the essence of Helldivers.
And the future? With Jorjani at the helm of Arrowhead, the studio will continue working on Helldivers II and will maintain its commitment to cooperative games. “We feel like we have a lot more to give and a lot more games we want to make,” Pilestedt says. “The level of ambition and appetite has grown considerably. We have tasted blood and we want more.” To achieve this, Arrowhead will expand its workforce and grow. “We will see growth, but growth as a means to an end, not an end in itself,” says Pilestedt.
Arrowhead is committed to remaining an independent company and rules out selling or going public. “I want to see how far we can go,” says Pilestedt. The creative also states that they do not manage the business with the sole objective of making profits. “[…] The desire to make great games is the only reason we exist,” says Pilestedt.
Add Comment