Tim Willits, the chief creative officer of Saber Interactive, recently disclosed that the company essentially no longer conducts any substantial game‑development work on the North American continent. While Saber still maintains its corporate headquarters and a publishing division within the United States, the actual creation of games now takes place across a network of fifteen studios scattered around the globe.
These studios are situated in a diverse set of countries, including Serbia, Armenia, Georgia, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Argentina and Australia, reflecting a deliberately international approach to production. Prior to its 2024 separation from the Embracer Group, Saber Interactive oversaw a number of North‑American studios such as Aspyr in Texas, Demiurge Studios in Boston, Tripwire Interactive in Georgia, and Shiver Entertainment in Florida. After the split, Aspyr, Demiurge and Tripwire remained under Embracer’s ownership, while Shiver was acquired by Nintendo in May 2024.
The Canadian studio Beamdog also stayed with Embracer. Despite the overall shift away from North‑American development, Saber still retains ownership of New World Interactive, which operates out of Denver, Colorado, and Calgary, Alberta. New World is best known for the 2018 tactical shooter *Insurgency: Sandstorm*, which received a major content update in May.
The studio experienced a round of layoffs in 2023 as Saber prepared for its eventual separation 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 fully open to establishing new studios in any region that offers talent and the right conditions. "We are not afraid of any territories.
Some publishers are hesitant to work in places they don’t understand, but we say, ‘let’s go, let’s find skilled people, give them what they need, and create something great.’ You don’t need to be based in California to be a brilliant programmer, artist, or animator," he said. Willits also used the conversation to critique the habit of pouring massive sums of money into blockbuster titles without clear justification.
He cited a recent, unnamed game that he felt squandered resources, noting that the development budget for *Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2* was roughly one‑third of the budget for a major title released just a few months earlier by a large North‑American studio—yet the latter sold 11 million more copies. "You don’t need to spend $150 million to make a billion‑dollar hit," he argued.
He went on to illustrate the cost disparity with concrete numbers. "Big North‑American development studios can burn $2 million or more each month. By contrast, SnowRunner—a game that has generated hundreds of millions in revenue—cost us about $6 million to develop. That’s essentially three months of work in California," Willits explained.
"If a large studio spends five years on a project, that’s 60 months, which translates to $120 million in salary expenses alone. Add marketing and publishing fees, and you’re easily looking at $150 million. Yet each game might only bring back about $25 in profit per unit. The math just doesn’t add up; you have to sell an enormous volume to break even." Willits’ comments highlight a broader industry trend toward decentralizing development and seeking cost‑effective production models.
By leveraging talent pools in countries with lower operating costs, Saber hopes to maintain high‑quality output while avoiding the financial pitfalls that can accompany oversized budgets. The company’s strategy also reflects a belief that creativity and technical expertise are not confined to traditional hubs like Los Angeles or Seattle; they can flourish wherever skilled individuals are found. The full interview with GamesIndustry.biz provides additional context and details about Saber’s global studio network, its approach to talent acquisition, and Willits’ perspective on the future of game development economics. It underscores the idea that strategic geographic diversification can be a competitive advantage in an industry where development costs continue to climb and profit margins are under pressure.