Saber Interactive

Saber Interactive is a developer and publisher.

Saber Interactive Webpage, Facebook

An American game development studio headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, with branches in Armenia, Belarus, England, Spain, Portugal, Russia, and Sweden. Saber Interactive had been part of the Embracer Group since April 2020, but in March 2024, the studio transitioned to Beacon Interactive.

The history of Saber Interactive

The beginning

Saber Interactive began its operations in 2001. The studio was established by Andrey Iones, Anton Krupkin, and Matthew Karch. Originally located in Millburn, New Jersey, the team eventually relocated to Maplewood.

The company's first release was Will Rock, a shooter influenced by Serious Sam, which debuted in 2003. To develop the game, the studio designed its proprietary Saber3D Engine, which it continued to use in subsequent releases.

From TimeShift and Inversion...

Players had to wait until 2007 for the studio's next production: TimeShift, a first-person shooter. In 2011, Battle: Los Angeles premiered - an adaptation of the film of the same name, also presented as a first-person shooter. Shortly after, Saber Interactive assisted 343 Industries in releasing Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

In 2012, the studio's next game, Inversion, debuted as a third-person shooter. 2013 saw the release of God Mode, a multiplayer third-person shooter, and R.I.P.D. The Game, adapted from the film; both titles were developed in collaboration with Old School Games. Between 2014 and 2015, the studio worked again on the Halo franchise, collaborating on Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Halo Online, a multiplayer-focused title

...to MudRunner

Two years later, the studio moved away from the direction it had pursued since 2003, developing the arcade titles MX Nitro and NBA Playgrounds. They also released an expanded edition of Spintires, MudRunner, which was followed a year later by the American Wilds expansion.

However, the studio has not forgotten its origins and also took part in the development of Quake Champions. Furthermore, in December 2017, Saber Interactive revealed World War Z, set for release on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. However, prior to that release, Saber Interactive launched other titles, including NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 and American Wilds, the expansion for MudRunner. World War Z launched on PC, PS4, and Xbox One in April 2019, and approximately a year later, it arrived on Nintendo Switch. In April 2020, SnowRunner, the highly praised sequel to Spintires: MudRunner, was released.

At the same time, Saber Interactive focused on creating remastered and ported versions of older games, working alongside the original developers. In 2019, the studio released projects such as Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered (for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch), as well as Vampyr and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition for Nintendo Switch. In 2020, the developers worked on Crysis Remastered (for PC and consoles) and Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (for PC).

Among Saber Interactive's recent projects, WWE 2K Battlegrounds stands out as an entirely new game. The title was released on PC and consoles in September 2020.

Joining the Embracer Group

Meanwhile, Embracer Group completed its full acquisition of Saber Interactive in April 2020. The transaction cost the company a total of $525 million, and the studio was intended to serve as a platform for acquiring additional teams, operating alongside entities such as Deep Silver and THQ Nordic.

The results came quickly. In August that year, 4A Games and New World Interactive, acquired by Embracer Group, joined the Saber Interactive group, and in November, 34BigThings, Mad Head Games, Nimble Giant Entertainment, Snapshot Games, and ZEN Studios did the same. That same month, Todd Hollenshead, former president and creative director of id Software, became the head of the company's publishing division. At The Game Awards 2020, BossTeamGames announced Evil Dead: The Game, scheduled for release on PC and eighth- and ninth-generation consoles. Saber Interactive was set to publish the title.

Expansion

In February 2021, Saber Interactive revealed its $100 million acquisition of Aspyr Media, with $60 million paid in cash and $40 million in Embracer B shares. After fulfilling "certain conditions", the Swedish Embracer Group's new acquisition could obtain up to $350 million in extra funding. Aspyr Media was reported to be working on multiple projects, including one "important to the entire group" with an expected budget of approximately $70 million. The project was speculated to be Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3 or a remake of an earlier game in the series.

During E3 in June 2021, Koch Media unveiled a new publishing brand. The company, then called Prime Matter, was set to publish the new Painkiller, developed by Saber Interactive. That same day, the team announced plans to develop Kingdom Come: Deliverance for the Nintendo Switch. At the time, Saber Interactive's list of projects included Crysis Remastered Trilogy, World War Z for the Nintendo Switch, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

It was announced in August 2021 that Embracer Group, via Saber Interactive, had acquired 3D Realms and Slipgate Ironworks, two studios that had been working closely together. The acquisition led to Mike Nielsen stepping down as CEO of 3D Realms, with Frederik Schreiber taking over the role.

On August 18, it was announced that Saber Interactive had acquired three more studios: Demiurge Studios, known for Shoot Many Robots; Fractured Byte from Estonia, specializing in porting; and Russian Smartphone Labs. Following Crysis Remastered, two additional installments in the series were updated in October 2021, thanks to a collaboration between Saber Interactive and Crytek.

Saber Interactive announced in December 2021 that it had acquired two studios: DIGIC Pictures, a Hungarian studio focused on cutscenes, and Shiver Entertainment, which handled the Nintendo Switch port of Mortal Kombat 11, among other projects. December 2021 also saw the announcement of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II, a sequel to the well-received 2011 shooter set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

The year 2022 brought news that the collaboration between Saber Interactive and CD Projekt, which was intended to produce a next-gen version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, had come to an end. Saint Petersburg-based Saber Interactive Russia oversaw the project, but the Polish studio ended the previously productive partnership in response to Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Additionally, problems emerged with the remake of the iconic KOTOR, which was announced in September 2021 and managed by Aspyr Media. Sources at the time suggested that the project would be transferred to Saber Interactive and see a change in developers.

However, 2022 also brought more encouraging news. In August, it was revealed that Saber Interactive had acquired two development studios. This includes the Swedish studio Tuxedo Labs, known for the bestselling Teardown, and the American studio Tripwire Interactive, creators of the Killing Floor and Rising Storm series. Saber Interactive also gained control of Tripwire Presents, the latter's publishing division. In 2022, Saber Interactive also saw the release of titles such as Evil Dead: The Game (May), Redout 2 (June), and Dakar Desert Rally (October).

Acquired by Beacon Interactive

The next major events in Saber Interactive's history didn't occur until early 2024. March brought the announcement that Saber Interactive was sold to Beacon Interactive, headed by Matthew Karch, one of its co-founders.

The $247 million deal gave the new owner control of Saber Interactive, along with 3D Realms, DIGIC Pictures, Fractured Byte, Mad Head Games, New World Interactive, Nimble Giant Entertainment, Sandbox Strategies, SmartPhone Labs, Slipgate Ironworks, and Stuntworks. However, Embracer Group kept the following teams that were previously part of the Saber Interactive operating group: 34BigThings, Aspyr, Beamdog, Demiurge Studios, Shiver Entertainment, Snapshot Games, Tripwire Interactive, and Tuxedo Labs.

For a while, Saber Interactive had the option to add 4A Games and ZEN Studios to the acquisition, which would have increased the deal to $500 million. However, in September 2024, Jason Schreier revealed - citing Matthew Karch himself - that the purchase had fallen through. No official reasons were given for the decision; Karch merely commented that "it would be better for all parties".

Regarding Saber Interactive's major titles, Expeditions: A MudRunner Game, the latest entry in the popular off-road simulator series, launched in March 2024. That same month, the studio also released a Nintendo Switch port of Kingdom Come: Deliverance.

Space Marine and Painkiller

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, released in September 2024, became the most successful Saber Interactive title of the year. The game launched on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S to positive industry reviews, with a Metacritic average of 82-83/100, and "very positive" feedback on Steam. The game's sales were similarly impressive, and it soon became evident that Space Marine 2 outperformed all 2023 releases in the franchise.

Seizing the moment, Saber Interactive announced the third installment of the Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine series in March 2025. However, its release was still a distant prospect at the time. It soon emerged that the Painkiller project, first announced in June 2021, had switched developers to the Polish Anshar Studios and was now being published by 3D Realms.