Arrowhead, developer of Helldivers 2, appoints Shams Jorjani as new CEO

Arrowhead Games Studios has appointed Shams Jorjani as its new CEO, replacing company founder Johan Pilstedt.

Pirested will continue as chief creative officer and chairman. This move comes in the wake of the huge success of Helldivers 2. It has sold 12 million copies since its release on PS5 and PC in February.

Jorjani is a gaming business veteran, having spent 12 years in senior management positions at Paradox Interactive. He also serves as chairman of his indie publisher Hooded Horse and serves as a senior advisor to various gaming businesses.

talk to GamesIndustry.bizPilestedt explains that hiring a full-time CEO gives the company more time to focus on its love of making games, while giving it the structure and leadership it needs.

“I’ve been thinking about the future of Arrowhead, the future games we make, and running the organization beyond the 120 or so developers we currently have,” he says. “Running an organization of over 100 people made me realize how big it could get…which means I [have to choose] Should you deepen your love for game creation or pursue a career in business?

“During the past year leading up to the release of Helldivers 2, I was more drawn to the business side of things and less focused on the creative side. I realized that I needed to make some decisions for myself as well.

“So I reached out to Shams. We had lunch and I asked him if he would be interested if we needed to rethink running Arrowhead for the next 10 years and hire a new CEO.

“After contemplating what lies ahead and feeling deep anxiety, I ultimately came to the right conclusion that I had no choice but to follow my heart. It was not only the right thing for me, it was the right thing for the organization. I don’t think being passive brings much good results.”

Jorjani added: “When you talk to a creator like Johan, it’s not like he wants to retire. ‘Helldivers 2’ is not the highlight of his career. This is the fourth best game he’s ever made. So the question is how do we set up Johan and the team in a way that is more consistent than skill and luck and chance… everything that got us here? Of things.

“What I want to discuss is organization and leadership. At Paradox, where I started as the 23rd person and helped grow the company into a huge company, it’s about organization, leadership and business focus. Frankly, running a company involves a lot of boring business management work, but also juggling the hat of chairman and the hat of creative director while also being part of the executive team. It’s hard to do that in the trenches, which is what Johan has been designing a lot of over the years.

“Bethesda has Todd Howard, Kojima Productions has Kojima, Remedy has Sam Lake… but when you ask who runs these companies, who is the CEO or managing director… I can’t give you the name of a humble servant.” [laughs] Behind the scenes.”

“So here’s the setup. How do we enable Johan to produce more Helldivers, and what I bring is the structure around that.”

For more information Click here for an interview with Pirestedt and Jorjani.