Tim Willits, the chief creative officer of Saber Interactive, recently made it clear that the company essentially no longer conducts any substantial game development 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 located in a diverse set of nations, including Serbia, Armenia, Georgia, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Argentina, and Australia, among others. The shift in Saber’s geographic focus follows its separation from the Embracer Group in 2024.
Prior to that split, Saber oversaw a number of North‑American subsidiaries: Aspyr in Texas, Demiurge Studios in Boston, Tripwire Interactive in Georgia, and Shiver Entertainment in Florida. When the spin‑off occurred, Aspyr, Demiurge, and Tripwire remained under Embracer’s ownership, while Shiver was sold to Nintendo in May 2024. Another Embracer‑affiliated studio, Beamdog in Canada, also stayed with the parent group. One exception to the otherwise overseas‑centric development model is New World Interactive, which Saber still owns.
New World maintains offices in Denver, Colorado, and Calgary, Alberta. The studio is best known for the 2018 tactical shooter *Insurgency: Sandstorm*, which received a substantial content update in May.
New World experienced a wave of layoffs in 2023 as Saber prepared for its eventual break‑away from Embracer. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Will Willits explained why Saber is deliberately spreading its development talent worldwide. He argued that modern publishers need to be “smart about where you make your game,” and that the company is eager to establish studios wherever capable creators can be found. “We are not afraid of any territories,” he said.
“Some publishers shy away from 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 make something great.’ You don’t have to be based in California to be an outstanding programmer, artist, or animator.” Willits also used the interview to criticize the habit of pouring massive budgets into blockbuster titles without clear justification. He cited a recent example, refusing to name the game, where he could literally see “dollars falling out of the monitor.” He contrasted that with the development cost of *Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2*, which, according to Willits, was only about one‑third of the budget of a major North‑American release that debuted just a few months earlier yet sold 11 million more copies. “You don’t need to spend $150 million to make a billion‑dollar franchise,” he asserted.
Willits broke down the numbers to illustrate his point. He noted that large North‑American studios often burn through $2 million or more each month in salaries alone. By comparison, Saber’s own *SnowRunner*—a title that has generated hundreds of millions in revenue—cost roughly $6 million to develop, which equates to just three months of high‑cost California‑based development. If a big studio spends five years (about 60 months) on a game, the payroll expense alone can reach $120 million.
When you add marketing, publishing, and other ancillary costs, the total budget can easily exceed $150 million, yet the profit margin per unit sold may be as low as $25. “The math just doesn’t work,” Willits concluded. “You have to sell an enormous volume to break even, and that’s the real problem.” The interview highlighted a broader industry trend: the growing recognition that high‑quality games can be built outside traditional hubs like Los Angeles or Seattle, provided the right infrastructure and talent are in place.
Saber’s strategy reflects a desire to tap into emerging talent pools, reduce overhead, and avoid the financial pitfalls that can accompany oversized development teams. By diversifying its studio locations, the company hopes to stay agile, keep production costs manageable, and continue delivering titles that resonate with players worldwide. For readers interested in the full conversation, the complete GamesIndustry.biz interview with Tim Willits is available through the original publication link.