For the Emperor: After a few turbulent years and multiple ownership changes, Saber Interactive is now in great shape. The Florida-based studio owes its resurgence to one particular Warhammer title, which, according to Chief Creative Officer Tim Willits, made the company almost too successful for its own good.
Since Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 sold millions of copies, Saber Interactive has become one of the most in-demand studios for building new games around established IPs – so in demand, according to Willits, that the company has had to turn down several high-profile productions. It’s a good problem to have, as Willits himself acknowledged.
Space Marine 2 is the well-received sequel to 2011’s Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, a hack-and-slash shooter developed by Relic Entertainment and published by THQ. The game once again follows the Adeptus Astartes, a brotherhood of superhuman warriors tasked with enforcing the Emperor of Mankind’s rule over a chaos-ridden galaxy full of hostile races. Released in 2024 for PC and current-gen consoles, Space Marine 2 has gone on to become one of the franchise’s biggest hits, reaching more than 12 million players as of early 2026. Saber has continued supporting the game with regular content drops, including the recently released Purgation Update.
The Warhammer 40,000 universe is enjoying a resurgence of sorts, particularly in video games, and Willits said Space Marine 2 changed everything for Saber, forcing the studio to rethink how it makes games. The title also changed how the industry views the company, which now has a reputation for delivering strong results with licensed IPs.
“And because we have a reputation of really doing well with licensed IPs, every major license holder wants to make a video game. It’s just the way it is. Everybody,” Willits said in a recent interview.
Saber’s CCO said the studio had to pass on a particularly enticing business proposal, though he declined to name the franchise involved. Thanks to Space Marine 2 and other successful releases, Saber is now apparently able to deliver AAA-caliber games without needing a “true” triple-A budget. That’s a massive win and advantage at a time when the industry at large is cutting thousands of jobs while trying to improve profitability.
Saber currently manages several studios and employs around 3,500 people, and the company says it’s still looking for growth opportunities. It’s working on numerous IP-based projects, including Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival, a remastered Hitman Classic Trilogy, and Turok: Origins, among others. Space Marine 3 has also been confirmed and is now in development, following the sequel’s outsized success.
Willits thinks the industry will weather today’s chaos, and that creative people will continue finding ways to make great entertainment despite everything.