Major games titan Saber says it has ‘no real development in North America any more’

TL;DR: Saber Interactive says it no longer does substantive game development in North America, instead running most development from studios in countries like Serbia, Armenia, Spain, Sweden and Australia.
Voice: DefaultSpeed
0:00 / 2:04
Use left and right arrow keys to seek audio.

Saber Interactive, one of the biggest video game companies, says that it is now making games in other countries outside of North America.

Saber Interactive’s Tim Willits recently shared a few words that reflect the sobering state of the games industry for interactive entertainment‘s biggest-spending region, which is that companies are simply moving the bulk of their games development operations out of North America, likely due to unpredictable economics like higher costs of living.

In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Willits says that Saber Interactive currently has “no real development in North America any more.” Saber’s HQ is still there, GI.biz reports, but the group is mostly handling development across other regions like Serbia, Armenia, Spain, Sweden, and even Australia.

Willits says publishers and devs should be smarter with where they choose to make their games:

“We are not afraid of any territories. Some publishers are afraid to work in territories they don’t understand, but we’re like, let’s go, let’s find some people that are talented, let’s give them what they need, and let’s make awesomeness. You don’t need to be in California to be a brilliant programmer or artist or animator.”

As to how many people currently work at Saber, or how big the group actually is, that number seems a bit nebulous; Saber’s site apparently used to list 3,500 people, and estimates put the number at around 3,000 people, however Saber’s site now only lists that it has 15 studios.

Which Saber Interactive studios are handling development outside North America now?

How many games or major projects is Saber currently developing in Serbia, Armenia, Spain, Sweden, and Australia?

Is Saber’s North American headquarters still handling any game production work, or just leadership and support?

What kinds of costs or business pressures are pushing Saber to move development out of North America?

Have a question that isn’t listed here? Ask below, and TweakBot will answer it.

It’s unclear when, or if, the situation will shift and game development swings back to the West after so many decades of prevalence.