Saber Interactive has been on a rapid ascent over the last few years, and the most headline‑grabbing moment recently involved CEO Matthew Karch’s blunt reply to rumors that a writer had been swapped out for ChatGPT. When we met Tim Willits, the studio’s chief creative officer, at Gamescom for the second of our two interviews, the first question we asked him was about that very claim. "That was just Matt being sarcastic," Willits laughed.
"The bottom line is we have never replaced a human writer with AI. That would be insane. None of the narrative work on Space Marine, Hellraiser, Stuntman or any of our other titles has been generated by a machine." He added that while Saber does not currently rely on generative AI for core production tasks, the team is experimenting with it in limited contexts to understand where the technology might add value. "In our experimental title Rideshare Simulator we have an ‘AI mode’ that lets us test how the system behaves, but every side‑mission, every line of dialogue, every mission brief was still crafted by people.
The AI is a sandbox for us, not a replacement." Willits believes that, eventually, a breakthrough use‑case will emerge that will make the industry sit up and take notice. "When someone finally discovers a truly clever, practical integration of modern AI, everyone will say, ‘That’s it!’ It will be the moment the technology stops being a curiosity and becomes a standard tool, just like motion capture or real‑time ray tracing did when they first arrived.
Until then, it’s the same pattern we’ve seen with every new tech: early skepticism, a period of experimentation, and finally widespread adoption." He is clear that Saber does not feed generative AI into its pipelines for code, level geometry, texture creation, or other production pipelines. Nonetheless, he sees personal benefits. "I’ve always wished I could draw better. If I can picture something in my head and then have a tool that helps me get that vision onto the screen, that’s a huge boost for a designer.
So I’m keeping an eye on how AI‑assisted art tools evolve." Looking ahead, Willits expects to see more concrete AI‑driven projects at the next Gamescom. "I think next year we’ll have a few larger titles that actually showcase AI as a core feature. We’re curious to see how our players respond to the Rideshare experiment and whether the technology can improve the experience without feeling gimmicky." Saber’s corporate journey also made news in 2024 when the studio separated from its former parent, Embracer.
Willits described the split as "very easy" and emphasized that the company remains a heavyweight with roughly 3,500 employees across fifteen studios in locations such as Serbia, Armenia, Georgia, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Argentina and Australia. "Now that we have a studio in Australia, the sun never really sets on Saber’s development," he quipped.
Notably, North America no longer appears on the list of development hubs. "We don’t have any major production teams in North America anymore," Will Willits said, even though the corporate headquarters stay in Florida and a publishing office still operates in the United States. This mirrors a broader industry shift that Amir Satvat of ASGC described as moving headcount "from basically North America to basically anywhere else." Saber has embraced the global talent pool.
"We’re not scared of any region. Some publishers hesitate to work in places they don’t understand, but we say, ‘Let’s go, find the talent, give them the tools, and make something great.’ You don’t need to be in California to be a brilliant programmer, artist or animator." Willits sees his role as the glue that holds the sprawling operation together. "My job is to make sure every team has what they need, keep the focus on the critical priorities, and prevent scope from exploding," he explained.
He is also vocal about the dangers of a publisher putting all its resources into a single siloed project. "Many old‑school publishers put every egg in one basket, creating isolated teams that only ever work on one game. At Saber we have many eggs and many baskets, and we can shift resources between projects whenever the situation calls for it." The studio balances blockbuster‑scale releases with reliable, revenue‑generating work.
Upcoming tentpoles include Stuntman: Hollywood, a John Wick title, Turok: Origins and Jurassic Park: Survival. Alongside those, Willits calls the remaster of the original Hitman trilogy "bread‑and‑butter" work, similar to the company’s past Tomb Raider, Crysis and Halo remasters. "Those projects are predictable, they bring steady cash flow, and they let us keep the lights on while we experiment with riskier ideas." Smaller‑scale bets such as Docked, Bus Bound and the experimental Rideshare game also have a place in the portfolio. "These titles have clear budgets and revenue expectations, so we can plan them precisely.
At the same time, we foster a culture where developers can hop between games, so no one feels locked onto a single project. When a title needs a burst of manpower, we can pull talent from anywhere in our global network." Willits revealed that Saber is also exploring a Hollywood‑style external development model.
"We’re talking to a group of 18‑20 top‑tier developers in the US who could act as a creative hub. They bring the vision and artistic spark, while we provide the production muscle. Instead of maintaining a massive staff in California just to churn out concept art, we can keep a lean core team, bring in specialists when needed, and avoid burning cash on idle resources." The publishing landscape has polarized into two extremes: tiny indie budgets or massive evergreen franchises, leaving a “lost middle” that many studios avoid. Saber positions itself firmly in that middle ground.
"We champion AA games," Willits said, though he admitted the definition is fuzzy. "World War Z had 32 million players – is that still AA? It probably comes down to the budget rather than the player count." He argues that a diversified slate is healthier than banking on a single blockbuster.
"If you need a home run every quarter, you’re set up to fail. With a mix of modest releases you can spread risk, allocate resources more wisely, and apply a slate‑financing approach similar to what the film industry has done for decades.
A private‑equity partner might fund four or five games; three hit, one miss, and everyone walks away happy." Key to that strategy is strict budget discipline. "You have to keep each project in scope and focus on what truly matters," Willits emphasized. He illustrated the point with a personal anecdote: "Sometimes I sit down and play a title – I won’t name it – and I can literally see money pouring out of the screen.
The development cost for Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2 was only about a third of a recent major North‑American release, yet it sold 11 million more copies. You don’t need a $150 million budget to make a billion‑dollar franchise." He compared the cost structures of large North‑American studios to Saber’s leaner model. "Big studios can burn $2 million a month in salaries alone.
SnowRunner, which generated hundreds of millions, cost us roughly $6 million to develop – that’s about three months of a California‑style payroll. If a big studio spends five years on a game, that’s $120 million in salaries, plus marketing and publishing, easily topping $150 million, while the net return per title may be only $25 million after all deductions. The math just doesn’t add up." Recognizable intellectual property is another pillar of Saber’s approach.
"We’ve become very agnostic about who owns the IP – we work with Universal, Paramount, Lionsgate, Disney and many others," Willits said. The World War Z game, loosely based on the 2006 novel and 2013 Brad Pitt film, became a standout example: "I think more people played the game than saw the movie." When selecting an IP, passion and fan expectations are paramount.
"First, we have to love the property. Then we need to understand what fans want.
If we turned Hellraiser into a roguelike, it would be a disaster. We do extensive A/B testing and focus groups to gauge audience reaction." Not every partnership works out.
Willits recounted a missed opportunity with a major IP holder who wanted the game set in a different era than fans desired. "We pushed back, they held firm, and we agreed to walk away – it wasn’t going to succeed." At Summer Game Fest, Saber announced a collaboration with Universal on Stuntman: Hollywood, a title that pulls inspiration from Back to the Future, Fast & Furious and Jurassic World.
Willits explained that well‑known IPs serve a dual purpose: they tap into nostalgia for older gamers while providing an entry point for casual players who might not be hardcore gamers. The upcoming John Wick game materialized because Saber had previously earned Lionsgate’s trust on Evil Dead: The Game.
"They saw that we respected their property, so when they needed a partner for John Wick, they came to us. Being a good partner opens doors; every major studio wants video‑game adaptations because that’s where the audience lives now." Saber also handles non‑film IP.
Willits praised the partnership with IO Interactive on the Hitman Classic Trilogy Remastered, noting that both sides contribute ideas to improve the original titles without alienating the fan base. "We don’t just lift and shift; we add polish where it makes sense, and we work closely with the IP owners to ensure we stay true to the spirit." Beyond external collaborations, Saber nurtures its own creations. MudRunner, which began as a single developer’s concept, grew into SnowRunner, a hit that spawned expansions like Expeditions and RoadCraft, and even fed technology into the Road Kings series.
"Our culture encourages anyone with a great prototype to develop it, whether the team is twelve people or a thousand." Willits summed up the studio’s philosophy: flexibility, passion and disciplined execution. "We make video games – it’s the best job in the world. If someone has a cool idea, we want to hear it.
At the same time, developers need to be smart, focus on what matters, and keep budgets realistic. You can build an amazing experience with a small, focused team if you know where to invest your effort." Finally, he stressed the importance of a non‑siloed culture. "People should be able to move between projects, share knowledge, and not feel locked into a single title.
That cross‑pollination is what keeps us innovative and resilient in a rapidly changing industry."