There are some changes at Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead, as the studio is getting a new CEO.
Shams Jorjani will take over management of the company in the future, replacing its founder Johan Pilestedt.
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The future plans
However, that does not mean that Pilestedt is leaving the company. Quite the opposite: He is now the studio's chairman and also its chief creative officer.
“We were both in your position where we were wondering what would happen next in our careers,” says Jorjani in an interview with GamesIndustry. “And we realized that we couldn't really achieve these goals without supporting each other.”
“When it comes to the general direction of the company, I am still the chairman,” adds Pilestedt. “So Shams and I will continue to have strategic discussions about the direction we take Arrowhead in the future.”
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Both compare themselves to Frodo and Sam from The Lord of the Rings, who are on their way to Mordor. In other words, you take one step at a time and solve problems as they arise.
In any case, the team wants to remain independent. And they're also ambitious: “By bringing Shams on board, there's a good chance of realizing the future in which we become the next FromSoftware or Blizzard,” says Pilestedt.
At the moment the focus remains on Helldivers 2, but of course we are already thinking about what comes next.
“We have so much more to give people and so many more games we want to make,” explains Pilestedt. “Ambitions and the hunger for more within the company have grown significantly. We have tasted blood and we want more.”
Arrowhead's goal, according to Jorjani, is to make “really great co-op games” and become a studio that people want to work for if they want to make such games.
Furthermore, the goal is not to go public: “We don't do this business to make money,” emphasizes Pilestedt. “Our humility and desire to simply make great games is the only reason we exist.”
Of course, earning money doesn’t hurt. But you probably know what he means. The great greed for more and more money should not break out at Arrowhead.