Saber CCO Tim Willits blames layoffs on games industry overspecialization: 'Studios that have a couple hundred employees that work on one game are going to struggle'
"Why not take a risk?"
Saber Interactive's Chief Creative Officer Tim Willits has blamed the games industry's overspecialization for recent layoffs. He explained that studios with hundreds of employees working on a single game struggle to survive because they require a large workforce before a game reaches a vertical slice stage. Willits emphasized the importance of a studio culture that allows developers to work on various projects, enabling nimble developers to create smaller passion projects that can unexpectedly become big hits.
He cited SnowRunner as an example, a franchise that started as an experiment by one person and now has over 46,000 user reviews on Steam. Willits believes that investing in diverse projects not only brings financial benefits but also fosters creativity and boosts morale. When asked if he would turn Saber into a Rockstar-sized hitmaker, Willits declined, stating that he enjoys his current role and the studio's diverse game development approach.
Despite the current challenges in the industry, Willits remains optimistic, stating that it's actually a good time for gaming. He also mentioned that AI is not a significant issue as even id Software, where he previously worked, would have used it if available.
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