Tim Willits, the chief creative officer of Saber Interactive, recently disclosed that the company essentially lacks any substantial development presence on the North American continent. While the corporate headquarters and the publishing division remain located in the United States, the actual creation of games now takes place in a network of fifteen studios scattered across the globe. These studios are situated in a diverse set of countries, including Serbia, Armenia, Georgia, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Argentina, and Australia, reflecting Saber’s shift toward a truly international production model.
Prior to its separation from Embracer Group in 2024, Saber Interactive oversaw a number of North‑American subsidiaries: Aspyr in Texas, Demiurge Studios in Boston, Tripwire Interactive in Georgia, and Shiver Entertainment in Florida. When the split occurred, Aspyr, Demiurge, and Tripwire remained under Embracer’s ownership, while Shiver was sold to Nintendo in May 2024. Another former Saber asset, Beamdog in Canada, also stayed with Embracer. The only North‑American development studio that continues to be owned by Saber is New World Interactive, which maintains offices in Denver, Colorado, and Calgary, Alberta.
New World is best known for the 2018 tactical shooter *Insurgency: Sandstorm*, which received a significant content update in May 2023. That studio experienced a round of layoffs in 2023 as Saber prepared for its eventual spin‑off from Embracer.
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Willits stressed that modern game publishers must be “smart about where you make your game.” He explained that Saber is open to establishing new studios wherever talent can be found, and that geographic location should never be a barrier to creative excellence. “We are not afraid of any territories,” he said.
“Some publishers shy away from markets they don’t understand, but we think, ‘Let’s go, let’s find talented people, give them the tools they need, and make something great.’ You don’t have to be based in California to be a brilliant programmer, artist, or animator.” Willits also used the interview to criticize the industry’s tendency to pour massive budgets into flagship titles without clear justification. He cited a recent, unnamed blockbuster as an example of “wasted money,” pointing out that the development cost for *Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2* was roughly one‑third of the budget of another major release from a large North‑American studio that launched only a few months earlier. Despite the lower spend, *Space Marine 2* sold 11 million more copies, illustrating that a higher price tag does not automatically translate into higher sales or greater profitability. He continued, “Big North‑American development studios often burn through $2 million or more each month.
By contrast, a game like *SnowRunner*, which has generated hundreds of millions in revenue, cost us about $6 million to develop. That’s essentially three months of development in California.” Willits then walked through a simple cost calculation: a five‑year development cycle equals 60 months, which at $2 million per month totals $120 million in salaries alone.
When you add marketing, publishing, and other overhead, the figure can easily climb to $150 million, yet the profit margin on each unit might be only $25. “The math just doesn’t work,” he argued. “You have to sell a massive volume to break even, and that’s the core problem.” The interview highlights a broader industry trend toward decentralization and cost efficiency. By leveraging studios in lower‑cost regions, Saber hopes to maintain high production values while avoiding the bloated expense structures that have plagued many legacy publishers.
The company’s strategy also reflects a belief that creativity is not bound by geography; talent can be cultivated in Serbia’s emerging tech hubs, in the artistic communities of Spain, or in the game‑development ecosystems of Australia. Saber’s pivot has implications for the North‑American job market as well. While the loss of a central development hub may reduce domestic employment opportunities, the company’s continued ownership of New World Interactive ensures that some development jobs remain on the continent.
Moreover, the company’s willingness to partner with local talent worldwide could open new pathways for cross‑border collaboration, remote work, and shared technology pipelines. In summary, Tim Willits’ comments paint a picture of a company that is deliberately shedding its reliance on traditional, high‑cost North‑American studios in favor of a distributed, talent‑first model. By doing so, Saber Interactive aims to produce high‑quality games without the astronomical budgets that have become commonplace in the industry, while also demonstrating that great games can be built wherever skilled developers happen to be located.
The full interview with GamesIndustry.biz provides additional context and detail on Saber’s evolving global strategy.