Arrowhead Game Studios
Arrowhead Game Studios is an independent Swedish video game developer. It was established in 2008 by a group of Luleå University of Technology students studying in Skellefteå.[2][3] The company gradually moved to Stockholm in 2011–2012.[3] As of 2024, the studio employs about 120 people.[4]
Company type
- Skellefteå, Sweden
- 2008
- Johan Pilestedt
- Emil Englund
- Malin Hedström
- Anton Stenmark
- Robin Cederholm
Worldwide
- Johan Pilestedt (CCO)
- Shams Jorjani (CEO)
~120[1] (2024)
History[edit]
Their first game, Magicka, won the Game of the Year award at the Swedish Game Awards 2008.[5] In 2011, Magicka was released, published by Paradox Interactive, after a contract with the publisher was signed in 2009.[2]
In the following years, Arrowhead developed The Showdown Effect, a 2.5D multiplayer action game inspired by 1980s and 1990s action movies, for which they stuck with Paradox Interactive to publish it in 2013, and Gauntlet, a co-op dungeon action game, which was published by WB Games in 2014.[2]
In 2015, Arrowhead developed Helldivers, which was published by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Windows.[2] A sequel, Helldivers 2, was first teased in 2021 and released in 2024 by Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation 5 and Windows.[6]
On 22 May 2024, Johan Pilestedt announced that he had stepped down as CEO and hired Shams Jorjani, a longtime business associate to succeed him. Pilestedt assumed the role of CCO in order to fully involve himself in game development.[7]