Arrowhead co-founder Johan Pilestedt steps down as CEO to focus solely on making games and creative decisions
Arrowhead Game Studios has just announced its new head. The company’s co-founder and longtime CEO Johan Pilestedt is stepping down to focus more on the creative side of things.
Johan Pilestedt, co-founder and chief creative officer of Arrowhead Game Studios (left)
Pilestedt shared the news on May 22, saying that Shams Jorjani will replace him as the CEO of Arrowhead.
Jorjani is an experienced executive, who spent 12 years at Paradox Interactive in various roles such as producer, VP of products, and chief business development officer. He is also a chairman of the board at publisher Hooded Horse (Against the Storm, Manor Lods, Norland).
Speaking of his future at Arrowhead, Pilestedt noted that he will remain the company’s chief creative officer. This will allow him to spend more time with the team and entirely focus on making games and working with the community.
Hey everyone,
Big update, I’ve decided to hire @ShamsJorjani as the new CEO of @ArrowheadGS! We go way back and I wouldn’t trust the business in any other hands than his. (…and he comes with an impressive resume and love for games)
But what about me and my involvement in…
— Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) May 22, 2024
“Over the last year going to launch of Helldivers 2, I’ve been pulled more towards the business side of things, and not able to focus as much on the creative side,” Pilestedt told GamesIndustry.biz. “That made me realise I needed to make some decisions, both for the success of the business but also myself.”
Jorjani, on his side, wants to focus on organization, leadership, and business administration, allowing Pilestedt and other Arrowhead devs to put all their efforts into creating great games. “Bethesda has Todd Howard, Kojima Productions has Kojima, Remedy has Sam Lake… but when you ask who is running these companies, who is the CEO or managing director… you can’t name the humble servant [laughs] behind the scenes,” he noted.
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Pilestedt also said he has no plans to sell Arrowhead or make it a public company. “We don’t run the business for monetary gain. The humbleness and the desire to just make great games is the only reason we exist,” he said, adding that one of the long-term goals is to turn Arrowhead “into the next From Software or Blizzard.”
