Arrowhead Game Studiosthe developer of the hit Helldivers 2has a new CEO. Her name is Shams Jojani and she replaces Johan Pilestedt, one of the founders of the company. The latter will remain in the roles of creative director and president. Why this change at the top? Pilestedt himself explained it in an interview granted to GamesIndustry.biz: A dedicated CEO will give him more time to focus on development, because it will take away the bureaucratic tasks.
“I was thinking about the future of Arrowhead, the games we will make, and managing the organization beyond the one hundred and twenty developers we currently have,” he said Pilestedt. “I realized that running an organization of over a hundred people, no matter how big it gets, means having to choose between deepening my love of game development or following the corporate path.”
He then explained: “In the last year, before the launch of Helldivers II, I was more attracted to the commercial side, not being able to focus so much on the creative side. This made me understand that I had to make decisions, both for the success of the ‘company that for myself”. So he was contacted Jojani and was asked if he would be interested in becoming CEO of Arrowhead. The response was positive, as you may have understood. Pilestedt, however, did not deny that he had thought for a long time about what to do: “After some reflection and a deep anxiety in thinking about how things could have gone, I finally came to the conclusion that I had to follow my heart. It’s not just right for me , but it’s also true for the organization. I think having a reluctant CEO is not something that works.”
Who is Shams Jojani?
As mentioned, Jorjani is from Paradox Interactive, where he served as Chief Business Development Officer, Vice President of Business Development and Vice President of Product. He is also chairman of the board and investor in independent publisher Hooded Horse and investor in CULT Games.
Jorjani wants to take action to support Arrowhead’s creative efforts, helping Pilestedt and the team achieve their goals. He will bring his own organization and leadership, that is, “what I did at Paradox, where I joined as the last wheel of the wagon and then helped grow the company into the giant that it became… it was about organization, leadership and attention to business.” In short, he will take care of the boring but necessary issues in managing a company, taking them out of the hands of Pilestedt, who will be able to concentrate on the rest.
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