Tim Willins, the chief creative officer of Saber Interactive, recently disclosed that the company essentially no longer conducts any major 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 its titles now takes place across a network of fifteen studios scattered around the globe. These development hubs are located in a diverse set of nations, including Serbia, Armenia, Georgia, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Argentina and Australia, reflecting a deliberately international approach to production. The shift in geography follows Saber’s separation from its former parent company, Embracer Group, in 2024.
Prior to that split, Saber oversaw several North‑American studios: Aspyr in Texas, Demiurge Studios in Boston, Tripwire Interactive in Georgia, and Shiver Entertainment in Florida. When the corporate divorce was finalized, Aspyr, Demiurge and Tripwire remained under Embracer’s umbrella, while Shiver was acquired by Nintendo in May 2024. Another Embracer‑retained studio, Beamdog in Canada, also stayed with the former owner. Despite the overall move away from North America, Saber still retains ownership of New World Interactive, a studio with offices in Denver, Colorado, and Calgary, Alberta.
New World is best known for the 2018 tactical shooter *Insurgency: Sandstorm*, which received a substantial post‑launch update in May. The studio experienced a round of layoffs in 2023 as Saber prepared for its eventual split from Embracer, but it continues to operate under the Saber banner.
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Willins explained the strategic rationale behind the worldwide distribution of development talent. He argued that modern game publishers must be “smart about where you make your game,” and that geographic flexibility can unlock access to skilled creators without the overhead of a traditional Silicon‑Valley or Los‑Angeles office.
“We are not afraid of any territories,” he said. “Some publishers are hesitant to work in regions they don’t understand, but we think, let’s go, let’s find people who are talented, give them the tools they need, and create something great. You don’t need to be in California to be a brilliant programmer, artist, or animator.” Willins also took the opportunity to criticize the industry’s tendency toward bloated budgets for AAA titles. He recounted watching a recent high‑profile release—he chose not to name the game—where he could literally see money “falling out of the monitor.” By contrast, he noted that the development cost for *Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2* was roughly one‑third of the budget for that unnamed blockbuster, yet the former sold 11 million more copies.
“You don’t need to spend $150 million to make a billion,” he asserted. He went on to break down the economics of large North‑American studios, which often burn through $2 million or more in monthly payroll alone. For perspective, Willins cited *SnowRunner*, a title that has generated hundreds of millions in revenue, yet cost Saber only about $6 million to develop—a figure equivalent to roughly three months of staffing at a typical California studio. “If a big studio spends five years on a game, that’s 60 months, which translates to $120 million just in salaries,” he calculated.
Adding marketing, publishing, and other ancillary expenses can easily push the total budget to $150 million, while the profit margin on each unit sold may be as low as $25. “The math just doesn’t work… you have to sell a massive quantity, and that’s the problem,” he concluded.
Willins’ comments highlight a broader industry trend toward decentralization and cost efficiency. By leveraging talent pools in emerging markets and lower‑cost regions, companies like Saber hope to maintain creative quality while avoiding the financial pitfalls of traditional AAA development pipelines. The interview, in full, is available on GamesIndustry.biz.