Tim Willits, the chief creative officer of Saber Interactive, recently remarked that the company has essentially ceased any substantial game development activities on the North American continent. While the corporate headquarters and the publishing division remain anchored in the United States, the actual creation of games now takes place across a network of fifteen studios scattered around the globe. These development hubs are situated in a diverse set of countries, including Serbia, Armenia, Georgia, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Argentina, and Australia, among others.
Prior to its separation from Embracer Group in 2024, Saber Interactive oversaw several North American subsidiaries such as Aspyr in Texas, Demiurge Studios in Boston, Tripwire Interactive in Georgia, and Shiver Entertainment in Florida. Following the split, Aspyr, Demiurge, and Tripwire stayed with Embracer, while Shiver was acquired by Nintendo in May 2024. Another Embracer‑owned studio, Beamdog in Canada, also remained under Embracer’s umbrella. 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 significant content update in May of this year. The studio experienced a round of layoffs in 2023 as Saber prepared for its eventual departure from Embracer. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Willits explained that modern publishers need to be “smart about where you make your game.” He stressed that Saber is open to establishing new studios wherever talent can be found, regardless of geography.
“We are not afraid of any territories,” he said. “Some publishers shy away from markets they don’t fully understand, but we think, ‘Let’s go, let’s locate skilled people, give them the resources they need, and create something great.’ You don’t have to be based in California to be an outstanding programmer, artist, or animator.” Willits also took the opportunity to criticize the industry’s propensity for extravagant budgets on blockbuster titles. He recounted watching a recent high‑profile game—he chose not to name it—where he could literally see money being wasted, as if dollars were falling out of the monitor. By contrast, he pointed out that the development cost for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 was roughly one‑third of the budget of a major North American release that had launched only a few months earlier, yet Space Marine 2 sold 11 million more copies.
“You don’t need to spend $150 million to generate a billion in revenue,” he asserted. Willits broke down the cost structure of large studios in the United States. He noted that many top‑tier North American development houses burn through more than $2 million per month in salaries alone.
By comparison, Saber’s own SnowRunner—an acclaimed title that has generated hundreds of millions in revenue—cost the company about $6 million to produce, which equates to roughly three months of development time in a California studio. He continued, “If a big studio takes five years to finish a game, that’s 60 months, which translates to $120 million just in payroll. Add marketing, publishing, and other overhead, and you’re easily looking at $150 million in total spend.
Yet the profit margin on each unit sold might only be around $25. The math just doesn’t add up; you have to sell an enormous volume to break even, and that’s the core problem.” Willits’ comments highlight a broader industry shift toward distributed development models that leverage global talent pools while keeping costs under control. By moving production to regions with lower operating expenses, Saber hopes to maintain creative quality without the financial bloat that has plagued many high‑budget projects.
The company’s strategy reflects a belief that excellence in game design is not tied to a specific location, but rather to the skill and dedication of the people behind the code and art. The full interview with GamesIndustry.biz provides additional insight into Saber’s evolving business philosophy and its plans for future studio expansion worldwide.