Saber Interactive is one of the most prolific video game developers out there, boasting a varied portfolio of both released and in-development titles in an era when managing costs is becoming increasingly difficult.
Juggling both licensed titles like Space Marine 2 and original IP such as Roadcraft adds even more variables to the mix, but for Chief Creative Officer Tim Willits, the studio’s ability to keep costs manageable while pushing forward at full speed comes down to three key aspects.
Chief Creative Officer Tim Willits Explains How Saber Interactive Manages Development Costs
“We’re very good at making sure that we scope our projects to focus on the fun and to focus on what really needs to happen,” he told The Game Business. “I play these other games, and I can see these virtual dollars flying out of the screen, and […] how much money they spend on the dumbest stuff, and I’m like, ‘Oh, God, that’s expensive.’“
In addition, Saber Interactive’s culture “allows all of our employees to work on the titles where they’re most needed,” shooting for flexibility.
“There are big development studios where teams get siloed. They’re like, ‘I’m Team A, and I only work on this game.’ And you have these North American developers with 200 employees working on one title. That’s not going to work. Because everyone knows you don’t need all 200 people in the very beginning and at the very. So, you need to work on other projects. You need to expand. That’s one thing that we’re very good at.”
Finally, Willits points towards “where we do our development” as the third pillar ensuring Saber Interactive manages development costs effectively while handling multiple projects.
“We find super talented people in places that are honestly a little more affordable. But we have experience grabbing resources where we need them, moving people where they are most useful, and the employees love it. People can work on everything from John Wick to SnowRunner to Space Marine 3. So, it’s really been a culture and a philosophy and a business direction that has made us successful.”
Following the success of Space Marine 2, itself a sequel to an anticipated but ultimately middling third-person action game, Saber Interactive has multiple projects in development, including Space Marine 3, a new Turok game, Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival, alongside titles based on the John Wick and Avatar: The Last Airbender IPs.
Whether or not these upcoming releases reach the same heights as Space Marine 2 and World War Z, the latter of which reached “over 30 million people” remains to be seen.
What’s certain is that there’s plenty more coming from Saber Interactive during a time when the broader industry struggles with lengthy development cycles and layoffs.
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