Shams Jorjani, Arrowhead Game Studios’ newest CEO is already carrying on Johan Pilestedt’s previous habit of great stratagem ideas and feedback discussions for Helldivers 2 on X.
Johan recently stepped down as CEO to focus more on the creative side of game development and maintenance as the COO. Announcing on X on the 22nd of May, he said that he would be handing over the role to Shams. They both have worked together at Paradox Interactive in the past, and have been friends for a long time.
Shams Jorjani Shares Johan Pilestedt’s Helldivers 2 Community Engagement Habits
Shams replied to a post by Johan asking for new Eagle Stratagem ideas with ideas of his own – A Shockwave Bomb and a Tungsten Bomb. Although one fan stated that this just sounds like the Eagle Cluster.
Look at this guy! 😂
— Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) May 23, 2024
Since 2007, Shams has worked in the gaming industry, first as a partner manager for the Swedish Game Awards. After two years, he moved to Paradox as a producer and worked his way up to become the chief business development officer over a 12-year tenure. It’s safe to say that he’s more than qualified for the role of CEO at Arrowhead.
In a recent interview with GamesIndustryBiz, Johan said that hiring a committed CEO will provide the business with the structure and direction it requires while allowing him to devote more time to his passion for creating video games. He said that over the past year, he’s been pulled in more towards the business side of things, as are the responsibilities of a CEO role, rather than focusing more on the creative side which is something he much rather prefers to do.
In the same interview, Johan shared his ambitions for the studio to eventually become as big as Blizzard or FromSoftware, especially in terms of game quality and overall legacy. He wants the studio to become a place where people dream of working at.
The Change in CEO Comes Hot off the Heels of the Helldivers 2 PSN Account Linking Controversy
The controversy stemmed from a sudden PSN account linking mandate for Steam users. Helldivers 2 launched on Steam with the option to link PSN accounts, but it wasn’t mandatory. However, in May, Sony announced a new mandate.
This decision didn’t sit well with the PC community at all. The backlash was rather fierce, with players voicing their concerns about being forced into a new account system, potential regional restrictions for PSN accounts, and a general sense of anti-trust especially since Sony has a really bad history of hacks and user data leaks.
Unhappy players took to Steam, bombing the game with negative reviews. This backlash also pressured Valve to offer refunds for the game, even for those who had exceeded the usual playtime limits. They also delisted the game in all of the countries that didn’t have PSN account creation services.
Faced with a growing PR nightmare, Sony backtracked on this decision soon after. They completely reversed the mandatory PSN account linking requirement. This showcased the power of the gaming community to push back against anti-consumer practices. The PSN incident definitely proved the strength of a united gaming community, and players being vocal about changes that aren’t in their best interest at all.
What do you think of Shams Jorjani as the new CEO? Let us know in the comments.
