It’s a miserable time in the upper echelons of game development right now, but in the midst of all the layoffs, cancelled games, and legendary studios being horribly and inexplicably gutted, one company at least is riding high—Saber Interactive.
Previously known for vehicle simulators and middling action games like World War Z, Saber found itself with a monster hit on its hands two years ago, courtesy of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. Saber saw colossal success with the license, and according to Chief Creative Officer Tim Willits, the sequel put the studio on the map for other licenses seeking the videogame treatment.
In an interview with The Game Business (via RPS), Willits said that Space Marine 2 “literally changed everything” for Saber’s fortunes. “It not only changed the way that the team looks at making games, it changed how people look at us,” he explained.
Willits said that Space Marine 2’s success has been a huge boost to Saber’s confidence and their ambitions. “I’ve seen this in my career. When you have a huge hit, when you go to make the next game, everything has to be awesome. It’s like, ‘This has got to be the most awesome toaster ever.’ And it fuels success.”
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The studio’s confidence has been further bolstered by other potential partners now approaching them to collaborate, with Willits stating that numerous “major license” holders have been in touch with potential deals. “We are in a very fortunate position to turn down more than we can accept. I can’t say the name, but … you know you’re successful when you’ve turned down those guys.”
Following Space Marine 2’s success, Willits said that Saber’s plan is to continue adapting other licenses, in games like Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival, simply because having that pre-existing fanbase generally makes those games a safer bet: “Let’s talk about Hellraiser. If we wanted to make a survival horror game and it was our own IP, it would be more of an uphill battle. But people have heard of Hellraiser. People have heard of Space Marine, and Space Marine 2 was a huge success. World War Z, a great book, okay movie, and a super good video game.”
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