Saber Interactive Argues Big North American Studios Must Rethink Geography and Scale to Survive
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Saber Interactive chief creative officer Tim Willits argues that major North American studios must abandon costly development habits, embrace small-scale projects, and look beyond domestic borders to survive industry-wide financial pressures.
The gaming industry has faced relentless structural pressure over the last few years, with major publishers enduring wave after wave of layoffs and surging development costs. In a recent interview with Gamesindustry.biz, Saber Interactive chief creative officer Tim Willits pointed out that traditional legacy studios in regions like California and Texas often burn through millions of dollars a month by keeping massive teams idle between major releases. According to Willits, the traditional model of scaling up a two hundred person team before establishing a solid vertical slice is a recipe for financial disaster, especially when game cycles now stretch across five years or more.
To combat these crushing overhead costs, Saber suggests that major studios should embrace work-for-hire projects, remasters, and smaller experimental titles to keep revenue flowing between blockbuster launches. Willits notes that Saber itself maintains stability by diversifying its output, handling licensed titles alongside smaller-scale passion projects and dependable remaster work. He argues that mega studios should not be too proud to fund micro-games or side projects built by tiny teams, pointing out that many successful franchises originate from singular ideas scaled up over time.
Beyond rethinking project scope, Willits challenged North American and British publishers to overcome their geographic biases and tap into global talent pools, specifically highlighting regions like South America. Rather than treating overseas teams merely as cheap outsourcing labor, major studios need to build genuine co-development partnerships across different time zones and language barriers. By shedding corporate ego, spreading financial risk, and looking beyond domestic borders, the development sector can build a much more resilient future for players and creators alike.
Tags: Industry News, Game Development, Saber Interactive, Studio Culture
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun