Saber Interactive

Short description: American video game company

Saber Interactive Inc.

Type| Subsidiary
Industry| Video games
Founded| 2001; 25 years ago (2001)
Founders|

* Andrey Iones
* Matthew Karch
* Anton Krupkin

Headquarters|

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

U.S.

Key people

* Matthew Karch (CEO)
* Andrey Iones (COO)
* Tim Willits (CCO)
* Anton Krupkin (CTO)
* Todd Hollenshead (Head of Publishing)

Revenue|  US$161.2 million [1] (2022)

Number of employees

| 2,671[1] (2022)
Parent| Embracer Group (2020–present)
Divisions|

* Saber Armenia
* Saber Belarus
* Saber Porto
* Saber Russia
* Saber Spain
* Saber Sweden

Subsidiaries| See § Subsidiaries
Website| saber.games

Saber Interactive Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher founded in 2001 with headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Saber was acquired by Embracer Group in February 2020, making the studio a direct subsidiary.[2] The company employs over 1,350 people.[3][4]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Games
* 3 Subsidiaries
* 4 Notes
* 5 References
* 6 External links

## History

Saber Interactive was founded in 2001 by Andrey Iones, Matthew Karch, and Anton Krupkin.[5][6] Together they created a 3D engine from scratch, gathered a team of artists from Saint Petersburg, Russia and began working on their first game, Will Rock.[7] After the release of Will Rock, Saber developed their proprietary game engine, Saber3D, which was used in their second title, TimeShift (2007).[8] The Saber3D engine has since been continuously updated and evolved for use in current games.[9][10]

In 2010, Saber was approached by Microsoft's 343 Industries to remake Halo for the game's tenth anniversary. This would be Saber's first involvement in a major franchise and COO Andrey Iones considered it "an opportunity that we couldn’t miss". To maintain the original game experience, Saber used the original engine for game play and the Saber3D engine for visuals.[11] Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary was released on November 15, 2011, to positive reviews.[12] Saber then assisted in 2014 on the development of Halo.[13]

On August 1, 2016, Saber Interactive opened its first internal studio outside of Russia in Madrid.[14] This was the beginning of a major international expansion, with Saber opening studios in Sundsvall, Sweden (by buying porting studio Binary Motion),[15] and Minsk, Belarus.

CDProjekt RED partnered with Saber in 2018 on the Nintendo Switch port of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Complete Edition.[16] The port was released on October 15, 2019, to positive reviews highlighting the performance and playability.[17][18]

On April 16, 2019, Saber launched World War Z. The game sold over one million units in its first week of release.[19]

id Software studio director Tim Willits joined Saber as chief creative officer on August 1, 2019.[20]

In October 2019, Saber Interactive acquired Bigmoon Entertainment,[21] a game development studio of forty people based in Porto, Portugal, and rebranded the studio as Saber Porto.[21][22]

Saber was acquired by Embracer Group in February 2020 in a deal worth US$525 million.[2] Under the deal, Saber became the fifth direct subsidiary under Embracer and maintains autonomy. Post-acquisition, Matthew Karch continues to serve as chief executive officer and Andrey Iones as chief operating officer.[23] After joining Embracer, Saber became a platform for future acquisitions of other studios.

In August 2020, Saber Interactive acquired 4A Games, the developers behind the Metro video game series and New World Interactive, the developers of Insurgency.[24][25] In November 2020, Saber Interactive acquired 34BigThings, Mad Head Games, Nimble Giant Entertainment, Snapshot Games and Zen Studios.[26] Former President and CEO of id Software, Todd Hollenshead, joined Saber as Head of Publishing on November 18, 2020.[27]

Saber and Boss Team Games announced Evil Dead during The Game Awards 2020.[28]

In February 2021, Embracer Group announced that they acquired Aspyr and that the developer would be a subsidiary for Saber Interactive. The day one purchase price amounts to US$100 million on a cash and debt free basis, where US$60 million is paid in cash and US$40 million is paid in newly issued Embracer B shares. An additional consideration of a maximum of US$350 million may be paid under the agreement subject to certain conditions.[29]

In June 2021, new publishing label Prime Matter announced Saber Interactive was developing a new entry in the Painkiller franchise.

On June 10, 2021, Warhorse Studios announced that Saber Interactive will be developing a Kingdom Come port for the Nintendo Switch.[30]

In August 2021, Saber Interactive acquired 3D Realms, Slipgate Ironworks, SmartPhone Labs, Demiurge Studios, and Fractured Byte.[31][32]

In September 2021, Saber Interactive acquired Bytex.[33]

In December 2021, Saber Interactive acquired DIGIC Pictures and Shiver Entertainment.[34][35]

In January 2023, in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Saber relocated its Belarus and Russia employees to a new studio in Yerevan, Armenia.

## Games

## Subsidiaries

Name  | Location  | Acquisition  | Ref

|
|
|

34BigThings  | Turin | November 2020 | [36]
3D Realms | Aalborg  | August 2021 | [37]
4A Games | Kyiv | August 2020 | [38]
Sliema
Aspyr Media | Austin, Texas | February 2021 | [39]
Bytex  | Saransk  | September 2021 | [40]
Demiurge Studios | Boston, Massachusetts  | August 2021 | [41]
DIGIC Pictures | Budapest, Hungary  | December 2021  | [34]
Fractured Byte  | Tallinn | August 2021 | [42]
Mad Head Games  | Belgrade | November 2020 | [43]
Novi Sad
New World Interactive | Calgary  | August 2020 | [44]
Denver, Colorado
Montreal | November 2020 | [45]
Nimble Giant Entertainment | Buenos Aires | [46]
Saber Armenia  | Yerevan | January 2023 | [47]
Saber Belarus  | Minsk | February 2020 | [48]
Saber Porto | Porto
Saber Russia  | Saint Petersburg
Saber Spain  | Alcobendas
Saber Sweden  | Sundsvall
Sandbox Strategies  | Manhattan, New York  | November 2020 | [49]
Slipgate Ironworks  | Aalborg  | August 2021 | [50]
Shiver Entertainment  | Miami, United States | December 2021  | [35]
SmartPhone Labs  | Veliky Novgorod  | August 2021 | [51]
Snapshot Games | Los Angeles | November 2020 | [52]
Sofia
Tuxedo Labs  | Malmö  | August 2022 | [53]
Tripwire Interactive | Roswell, Georgia  | [54]
Zen Studios | Budapest | November 2020 | [55]

## Notes

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Embracer Annual Report & Sustainability Report 2021-2022". https://embracer.com/year-in-brief-22/assets/pdf/Embracer-Annual-Report-and-Sustainability-Report-2022_EN.pdf.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Saber Interactive | Saber and Embracer join forces" (in en-US). https://saber3d.com/saber-and-embracer-join-forces/.
3. ↑ "Company". https://saber3d.com/company/.
4. ↑ Palumbo, Alessio (2020-05-25). "Saber Interactive Interview - World War Z's Success (Over 10M Registered Players) and Beyond" (in en-US). https://wccftech.com/saber-interactive-interview-world-war-zs-success-10m-registered-players-and-beyond/.
5. ↑ Nutt, Christian (November 20, 2007). "The Development Of A Continuum: Andrey Iones On TimeShift". https://gamasutra.com/view/feature/130731/the_development_of_a_continuum_.php.
6. ↑ VB Staff (December 7, 2017). "Saber Interactive: Classic shooters show off technical chops". https://venturebeat.com/2017/12/07/saber-interactive-classic-shooters-show-off-technical-chops/.
7. ↑ "Will Rock interview" (in en-US). https://www.gamespot.com/articles/will-rock-interview/1100-2837358/.
8. ↑ "Postmortem: Saber Interactive's TimeShift" (in en). April 4, 2008. https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/132007/postmortem_saber_interactives_.php.
9. ↑ Adams, David (January 10, 2005). "Atari Announces New Shooter". https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/01/10/atari-announces-new-shooter.
10. ↑ "World War Z Swarm engine runs "amazingly" on next-gen hardware" (in en-US). 2020-05-27. https://mspoweruser.com/world-war-z-swarm-engine-amazingly-next-gen/.
11. ↑ Iones, Andrey (March 2012). "Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Post-Mortem". https://twvideo01.ubm-us.net/o1/vault/GD_Mag_Archives/GDM_March_2012.pdf.
12. ↑ "Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary" (in en). https://www.metacritic.com/game/halo-combat-evolved-anniversary/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360.
13. ↑ (in en) The Horse You Rode In On (A Halo: The Master Chief Collection Story) – IGN First - IGN, October 7, 2014, https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/10/07/the-horse-you-rode-in-on-a-halo-the-master-chief-collection-story-ign-first, retrieved 2020-12-02
14. ↑ "Olé!". August 1, 2016. https://saber3d.com/ole/.
15. ↑ "Binary Motion" (in en). http://www.binarymotion.se/.
16. ↑ Morgan, Thomas (2019-08-19). "Tech Interview: How was The Witcher 3 ported to Nintendo Switch?" (in en). https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2019-the-witcher-3-switch-tech-interview.
17. ↑ Frushtick, Russ (2019-10-15). "Witcher 3 on Nintendo Switch only makes a few sacrifices" (in en). https://www.polygon.com/2019/10/15/20915391/witcher-nintendo-switch-runs-performance-framerate-resolution.
18. ↑ "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition" (in en). https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-complete-edition/critic-reviews/?platform=nintendo-switch.
19. ↑ "World War Z passes 1 million copies sold in a week" (in en-US). 2019-04-23. https://venturebeat.com/2019/04/23/world-war-z-passes-1-million-copies-sold-in-a-week/.
20. ↑ "Quake director Tim Willits explains why he's joining Saber Interactive" (in en-US). 2019-08-13. https://venturebeat.com/2019/08/13/saber-interactive-tim-willits/.
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Valentine, Rebekah (October 18, 2019). "Saber Interactive acquires Bigmoon Entertainment". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-10-18-saber-interactive-acquires-bigmoon-entertainment.
22. ↑ "Saber Interactive buys Bigmoon Entertainment, announces two new projects". October 18, 2019. https://venturebeat.com/2019/10/18/saber-interactive-buys-bigmoon-entertainment-announces-two-new-projects/.
23. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (December 26, 2018). "How World War Z will pick up where Left 4 Dead left us stranded". https://venturebeat.com/2018/12/26/how-world-war-z-will-pick-up-where-left-4-dead-left-us-stranded/.
24. ↑ "Saber Interactive | EMBRACER GROUP ACQUIRES 4A GAMES" (in en-US). https://saber3d.com/embracer-group-acquires-4a-games/.
25. ↑ "Saber Interactive | EMBRACER GROUP ACQUIRES NEW WORLD INTERACTIVE" (in en-US). https://saber3d.com/embracer-group-acquires-new-world-interactive/.
26. ↑ "Embracer Group acquires 34BigThings, Flying Wild Hog, Nimble Giant Entertainment, Purple Lamp Studios, Snapshot Games, Zen Studios, more". November 18, 2020. https://www.gematsu.com/2020/11/embracer-group-acquires-34bigthings-flying-wild-hog-nimble-giant-entertainment-purple-lamp-studios-snapshot-games-zen-studios-more.
27. ↑ "Former id Software president Todd Hollenshead takes over publishing at Saber" (in en-US). 2020-11-18. https://venturebeat.com/2020/11/18/former-id-software-president-todd-hollenshead-takes-over-publishing-at-saber/.
28. ↑ "Evil Dead: The Game Announced At The Game Awards 2020" (in en-US). https://www.gamespot.com/articles/evil-dead-the-game-announced-at-the-game-awards-2020/1100-6485410/.
29. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (February 2, 2021). "Embracer Group acquires Aspyr Media for up to $450 million". https://venturebeat.com/2021/02/02/embracer-group-acquires-aspyr-media-for-up-to-450-million/.
30. ↑ "Yes, Kingdom Come: Deliverance is actually coming to Nintendo Switch". June 11, 2021. https://www.thesixthaxis.com/2021/06/11/kingdom-come-deliverance-switch-confirmed/.
31. ↑ "Saber Interactive | Saber Interactive Welcomes Three Specialized Video Game Studios" (in en-US). https://saber3d.com/saber-interactive-welcomes-three-specialized-video-game-studios/.
32. ↑ "Embracer Group acquires 3D Realms, CrazyLabs, Digixart, Easy Trigger, Force Field, Ghost Ship Games, Grimfrost, and Slipgate Ironworks". August 4, 2021. https://www.gematsu.com/2021/08/embracer-group-acquires-3d-realms-crazylabs-digixart-easy-trigger-force-field-ghost-ship-games-grimfrost-and-slipgate-ironworks.
33. ↑ "Saber Interactive | Saber Interactive Reaches Agreement to acquire Bytex" (in en-US). https://saber3d.com/saber-interactive-reaches-agreement-to-acquire-bytex/.
34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 "Saber Interactive | Embracer Group Enters Into Agreement To Acquire Digic" (in en-US). https://saber3d.com/embracer-group-enters-into-agreement-to-acquire-digic/.
35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 "Saber Interactive | Embracer Group Acquires Shiver Entertainment" (in en-US). https://saber3d.com/embracer-group-acquires-shiver-entertainment/.
36. ↑ "Embracer Group acquires 34BigThings". https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-acquires-34bigthings/.
37. ↑ "Embracer Group acquires 3D Realms". https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-acquires-3d-realms/.
38. ↑ "Embracer Group acquires 4A Games". https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-acquires-4a-games/.
39. ↑ "Embracer Group acquires Aspyr Media". https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-acquires-aspyr-media/.
40. ↑ "Embracer Group enters into an agreement to acquire Bytex". https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-enters-into-an-agreement-to-acquire-bytex/.
41. ↑ "Embracer Group enters into agreement to acquire Demiurge Studios". https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-enters-into-agreement-to-acquire-demiurge-studios/.
42. ↑ "Embracer Group enters into agreement to acquire OÜ Fractured Byte". https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-enters-into-agreement-to-acquire-ou-fractured-byte/.
43. ↑ "Embracer Group acquires Mad Head Games". https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-acquires-mad-head-games/.
44. ↑ "Embracer Group acquires New World Interactive". https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-acquires-new-world-interactive/.
45. ↑ "Insurgency developer New World Interactive opens new studio in Montréal" (in en). https://www.montrealinternational.com/en/news/insurgency-developer-new-world-interactive-opens-new-studio-in-montreal/.
46. ↑ "Embracer Group acquires Nimble Giant Entertainment". https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-acquires-nimble-giant-entertainment/.
47. ↑ "Saber Interactive opened an office in Yerevan". https://hanrayindzayn.com/en/saber-interactive-открыл-офис-в-ереване/.
48. ↑ "Embracer Group acquires Saber Interactive – initial consideration USD 150 million". https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-acquires-saber-interactive-initial-consideration-usd-150-million/.
49. ↑ "Embracer Group acquires Sandbox Strategies LLC". https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-acquires-sandbox-strategies-llc/.
50. ↑ "Embracer Group acquires Slipgate Ironworks". https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-acquires-slipgate-ironworks/.
51. ↑ "Embracer Group acquires SmartPhone Labs". https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-acquires-smartphone-labs/.
52. ↑ "Embracer Group acquires Snapshot Games". https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-acquires-snapshot-games/.
53. ↑ "Embracer Group Acquires Tuxedo Labs". https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-acquires-tuxedo-labs/.
54. ↑ "Embracer Group Enters Into Agreement to Acquire Tripwire Interactive". https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-enters-into-agreement-to-acquire-tripwire-interactive/.
55. ↑ "Embracer Group acquires Zen Studios". https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-acquires-zen-studios/.

## External links

* v
* t
* e

Embracer Group

List of video games (Deep Silver, THQ Nordic) / List of acquisitions

Franchises|

* Alone in the Dark
* AquaNox
* Darksiders
* De Blob
* Dead Island
* Destroy All Humans!
* Emergency
* Giana Sisters
* Gothic
* Homefront
* Metro
* MX vs. ATV
* Panzer Elite
* Red Faction
* Ride
* Risen
* Saints Row
* Sanctum
* SpellForce
* This Is the Police
* TimeSplitters
* We Sing

Subsidiaries|

| THQ Nordic|

* Black Forest Games
* Bugbear Entertainment
* Gunfire Games
* HandyGames
* Piranha Bytes
* Rainbow Studios

|

Koch Media / Deep Silver|

* Dambuster Studios
* Fishlabs
* Milestone srl
* Volition
* Warhorse Studios

Saber Interactive|

* 4A Games
* New World Interactive

Others|

* Coffee Stain Studios
* DECA Games
* Tarsier Studios

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