{"id":44357,"date":"2026-09-24T02:23:07","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T02:23:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/?p=44357"},"modified":"2026-09-24T02:23:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T02:23:07","slug":"encouragement-for-north-american-studios-embrace-global-perspectives-in-publishing-beyond-local-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/?p=44357","title":{"rendered":"“Encouragement for North American Studios: Embrace Global Perspectives in Publishing Beyond Local Concerns”"},"content":{"rendered":"
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### The Impact of Layoffs in the Gaming Industry: Insights from Saber Interactive<\/p>\n

Since 2022, layoffs have been a prevalent topic in the gaming industry, dominating news headlines. Although the frequency of these layoffs appears to have decreased in 2026, the severity of the cuts remains alarming. A striking example occurred in July when Microsoft announced the redundancy of 1,600 employees as part of what they termed a “great reset,” with intentions to let go of another 1,600 staff in the following year.<\/p>\n

These cuts highlight the ongoing economic pressures faced by the gaming sector, including rising debt rates, a cost of living crisis, and a memory shortage, all contributing to increasing costs associated with both developing and enjoying video games. As development timelines grow longer and competition becomes fiercer, the management teams at big studios are increasingly challenged to rethink their operational strategies.<\/p>\n

A conversation with Tim Willits, chief creative officer at Saber Interactive, shed light on effective strategies for large studios during these uncertain times. Saber has managed to thrive while many others struggle, and Willits emphasizes smart management of resources as a key to resiliency.<\/p>\n

#### The Costly Mistakes of Large Studios<\/p>\n

Willits critiques the traditional approach of many legacy gaming studios, which often maintain large teams of around 200 employees in high-cost regions like Texas or California. He points out that employing many highly skilled developers before achieving a vertical slice\u2014a playable version showcasing the game’s potential\u2014leads to unnecessary financial strain. “You’re burning money,” he states, highlighting that it’s unnecessary to have all hands on deck before a game is ready for full production. <\/p>\n

Once a game reaches the production phase, studios must quickly find ways to engage their large teams effectively or risk significant financial losses. The trend of studios letting go of talent just before or after launch means they often start anew with each project, losing valuable institutional knowledge and continuity.<\/p>\n

#### Diversifying Projects: A Viable Solution<\/p>\n

In discussing potential solutions, Willits advocates for studios to consider smaller, more diverse projects alongside their major titles. “It is totally okay if you do some work for hire,” he notes, emphasizing that additional income streams can help stabilize a studio’s finances without detracting from their primary AAA game development goals.<\/p>\n

Saber’s early history, marked by taking on a variety of work to stay afloat, illustrates this approach well. Even as they develop big licensed titles and original games, Saber continues to engage in remaster work, ensuring a reliable income while maintaining flexibility in project development.<\/p>\n

Willits suggests that instead of strictly focusing on large-scale productions, studios could invest in small-scale games, similar to many indie successes seen on platforms like Steam. He believes that even within a large studio setting, small teams working on bite-sized projects can yield reliable profits, potentially leading to unexpected hits.<\/p>\n

#### Collaborations and Global Expansion<\/p>\n

Saber’s strategy also involves international collaboration, using co-development with teams in different regions as a way to enrich their projects while diversifying their workforce. Willits encourages traditional publishers, especially those in North America and the UK, to explore talent in emerging markets, dispelling fears associated with language barriers or cultural differences. <\/p>\n

By fostering cooperation with global talent, studios can not only enhance their creative output but also engage with a wider player base, potentially accessing underserved markets.<\/p>\n

#### Forward-Thinking in a Turbulent Industry<\/p>\n

In an industry plagued by layoffs and economic uncertainty, Willits\u2019 insights advocate for a paradigm shift. By encouraging studios to adopt diversified strategies, maintain flexible project scales, and engage globally, there is potential for a more sustainable future in game development. While this approach won’t eliminate layoffs entirely, it may provide a buffer against volatility, ensuring that talent is retained and innovative ideas continue to flourish.<\/p>\n

As the gaming landscape evolves, studios that embrace adaptability and innovation could thrive, even amid economic pressures, ultimately benefiting both developers and gamers alike.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/div>\n

Layoffs have been a constant drumbeat in gaming industry news since 2022. Even if the cadence of layoffs seems to have slowed in 2026, the severity of those cuts has not lessened. In July, Microsoft made 1600 staff redundant as part of its great reset<\/a>, and promised investors they would let 1600 more staff go in the next 12 months.<\/p>\n

Cuts like those and the ongoing economic pressures plaguing the industry \u2013 rising debt rates, a cost of living crisis, and a memory shortage that is making every aspect of making and playing video games pricier \u2013 should have the head of any large studio examining their plans for the future. Especially when games are taking longer to make, costing more to make, and up against a much greater volume of competition than even two years ago.<\/p>\n

With all that in mind, when I wasn’t talking to Saber Interactive’s chief creative officer Tim Willits about generative AI<\/a>, I wanted to know what he would do if he ran one of those 200-people big-budget game studios. Because say what you like about Saber (and there’s a lot of things people like to say about Saber), but the developer is doing well at a time when a lot of other studios and publishers are struggling.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44358,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44357"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44357\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}