Saber Interactive has accomplished a great deal in recent years, yet the most eye‑catching headline emerged when CEO Matthew Karch bluntly dismissed 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 sit‑downs, that story was the first thing we brought up. "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. We aren’t using generative AI on Space Marine, Hellraiser, Stuntman or any of our other titles. "We are, however, experimenting with it because we’re still figuring out where the technology can actually add value, what players will appreciate, and which workflows benefit most.
In our Rideshare Simulator we have an ‘AI mode’ that we’re testing. Everything else – the main story, side quests, dialogue – was all crafted by people.
He believes that eventually a developer will discover a clever, game‑changing use for true AI integration, and the industry will collectively say, “That’s the way forward.” Until that moment arrives, he likens AI to any new technology in history: initially people ask, “What can we do with this? How does it fit into our process?” and later it becomes a routine part of everyday production.
Willits stresses that Saber does not employ generative AI for core pipeline tasks such as coding, environment creation, or texture generation. Still, he sees personal benefits. "I’ve always wished I could draw, because I think it would make me a better designer. If I have an idea in my head and need a quick visual, a tool that can turn that vision into an image would be incredibly useful," he explained.
He predicts that by next year’s Gamescom we’ll see larger titles that actually center on AI features, and he’s eager to watch how players respond to the AI experiments in Rideshare. "It’s a great test case," he said.
In 2024 Saber split from Embracer in what Willits described as a "very easy" process. The company remains sizable, with roughly 3,500 staff spread across 15 studios in locations such as Serbia, Armenia, Georgia, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Argentina and Australia.
"Now that we’ve started a studio in Australia, the sun never sets on Saber’s development," he quipped. Notably, North America is absent from that list. "We no longer have any real development in North America," Willits confirmed, even though the corporate headquarters stay in Florida and a publishing team is still based in the United States.
This mirrors a broader industry shift. Amir Satvat of ASGC observed that headcount is moving from North America to virtually anywhere else.
Saber has embraced the change. "We’re not scared of any region.
Some publishers shy away from markets they don’t understand, but we say, ‘Let’s go, find talented people, give them the tools they need, and make something awesome.’ You don’t need to be in California to be a brilliant programmer, artist or animator." Willits sees his role as keeping the whole operation humming. "My job is to make sure teams have what they need, keep focus on the priorities, and prevent scope from exploding," he said. He also warned against the old‑fashioned model of publishers putting all their eggs in one basket with siloed teams working on a single project. Saber, by contrast, spreads its eggs across many baskets and can shuffle resources between games as required.
The studio’s slate includes tentpole projects such as the upcoming Stuntman: Hollywood, a John Wick game, Turok: Origins and Jurassic Park: Survival. These sit alongside what Willits calls the "bread‑and‑butter" work: remasters of the original Hitman trilogy, Tomb Raider, Crysis and Halo. "Those are predictable, steady revenue streams," he noted.
Smaller bets also have a place. Titles like Docked, Bus Bound and the experimental Rideshare game are projects with known budgets and clear revenue expectations. The company’s culture encourages staff to rotate across titles, so no one feels locked onto a single product. This flexibility lets Saber pull talent from around the globe to reinforce a game when needed.
Willits also mentioned that Saber is exploring a Hollywood‑style external development model. "We’re talking to groups of 18‑20 top‑tier developers in the U.S.
who could bring creativity and vision, while we provide the manpower. Instead of a 300‑person team in California burning cash while concept art is produced, a small, focused crew can handle the core work and we bring in additional staff as the project matures." The publishing landscape has increasingly bifurcated: either backing tiny indie projects with shoestring budgets or pouring massive resources into evergreen blockbuster franchises, leaving a "lost middle" with few supporters. Saber positions itself in that middle. "We’re big, strong advocates of AA games," Willits said, though he questioned the label’s definition.
"World War Z had 32 million players – is that AA or something bigger? It often comes down to budget size." He argues that a diversified AA strategy is healthier than relying on a single blockbuster. "If you need a home run every game, you’ll eventually fail.
With modest releases you can place more bets, spread risk, and use a slate‑financing approach similar to movies – invest in several titles, accept that a few will flop, and celebrate the hits." Keeping each project’s budget in check is essential. "You have to stay within scope and focus on what truly matters," Willits emphasized.
He illustrated the point with a personal anecdote: "Sometimes I play a game and I can literally see money being wasted – dollars falling out of the monitor. The development cost for Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2 was 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 hit." He compared the economics of large U.S. studios, which can burn $2 million‑plus per month, to Saber’s own figures.
"SnowRunner, which generated hundreds of millions, cost us $6 million to develop – essentially three months of a California‑style payroll. A five‑year development cycle at a big studio translates to $120 million in salaries alone, and that’s before marketing and publishing costs push the total toward $150 million.
The math just doesn’t work unless you sell an enormous volume." On intellectual property, Willits said Saber is keen to work with recognizable brands. "We’re agnostic about who we partner with – Universal, Paramount, Lionsgate, Disney – and we’ve had great success with World War Z, which probably saw more players than the film itself." Choosing a franchise starts with genuine love for the IP and a deep understanding of fan expectations.
He gave the example of Hellraiser: turning it into a roguelike would be a disaster. Fan‑centric research, including A/B testing and focus groups, guides those decisions. Not every pitch lands. Willits recounted an instance where a major IP holder wanted a game set in a different era than fans desired.
Saber pushed back, and the project was shelved. At Summer Game Fest Saber announced a collaboration with Universal on Stuntman: Hollywood, a title that draws inspiration from Back to the Future, Fast & Furious and Jurassic World.
Willits sees the value of such IPs as twofold: they tap nostalgia for older gamers while providing an entry point for casual players who might not be hardcore gamers. The upcoming John Wick game emerged because Saber had previously earned Lionsgate’s trust on Evil Dead: The Game. "They felt 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 games because that’s where the audience lives." Saber also handles non‑film IPs. Willits praised the partnership with IO Interactive on the Hitman Classic Trilogy Remastered, noting that both studios contribute ideas to improve the original titles without alienating fans.
Similar collaboration occurred on the Tomb Raider remasters. Beyond licensed work, Saber nurtures its own creations.
MudRunner began as a single developer’s concept and grew into SnowRunner, which then spawned expansions like Expeditions and RoadCraft, as well as proprietary Road Kings technology. Willits highlighted that the studio encourages employees to prototype and develop small‑scale projects alongside larger ones.
"If a great idea comes from a team of twelve, we’ll back it." The overarching theme is flexibility and a culture that lets people chase the "cool stuff" they’re passionate about. "Making video games is the best job in the world," Willits said. "If someone has an exciting concept, we want to hear it." Finally, he called for greater discipline across the industry.
"Developers need to be smart, focus on what truly matters, and understand that great games can be built with small, efficient teams. Build a culture where people can contribute to multiple titles, avoid siloed thinking, and you’ll create sustainable success."