Arrowhead Game Studios
 | |
| Company type | AB |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded |
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| Founders |
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| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
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Number of employees | ~120[1] (2024) |
| Website | ArrowheadGameStudios.com |
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]
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 chief creative officer (CCO) in order to fully involve himself in game development.[7]
Games
[edit]| Title | Genre(s) | Publisher(s) | Platform(s) | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Magicka | Action-adventure | Paradox | Windows | |
| 2013 | The Showdown Effect | Action | Windows, OS X | ||
| 2014 | Gauntlet | Hack and slash, dungeon crawl | WB Games | Windows, PS4 | [8] |
| 2015 | Helldivers | Shoot 'em up | Sony Computer Entertainment | Windows, PS3, PS4, Vita | |
| 2024 | Helldivers 2 | Third-person shooter | Windows, PS5 | [9] |
Awards
[edit]- Magicka won the Game of the Year award at the Swedish Game Awards 2008.[5]
- Helldivers was nominated for "Action Game of the Year" and won for "Handheld Game of the Year" at the 19th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards held by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ "Recruitment, Jobs & Open Positions". Arrowhead Game Studios. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
- ^ a b c d Hedström, Malin (27 January 2013). "Arrowhead – A semi-brief history". Arrowhead Game Studio. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- ^ a b "Magicka har passerat två miljoner sålda". Norran (in Swedish). 14 October 2016.
- ^ "Recruitment, Jobs & Open Positions". Arrowhead Game Studios. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
- ^ a b "Swedish Game Awards 2008 – Profile for entry Magicka". Swedish Game Awards. 2008. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- ^ "Helldivers 2 launches February 8, 2024". PlayStation.Blog. 2023-09-14. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (22 May 2024). "The Boss of Helldivers 2 Dev Arrowhead Is Now Its Chief Creative Officer: 'I Care More About Weapon Balance Than QBRs'". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ Cook, Dave (17 March 2014). "Gauntlet reboot revealed for Steam by publisher Warner Bros, first trailer here". VG247. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ "How the names Arrowhead Game Studios and Helldivers 2 came to be". PlayStation Blog. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ "Academy Membership Honors 19th D.I.C.E. Awards Winners" (PDF). Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. February 18, 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 20, 2016. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
