Saber Interactive to Keep Publishing Indie Games

At Summer Game Fest, Saber Interactive executives confirmed the studio will keep signing and publishing independent games following its return to Beacon Interactive, led by co‑founder Matthew Karch, in 2024. Saber is the developer and publisher behind titles such as Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2, Roadcraft and John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando.

Todd Hollenshead, head of publishing, said The Knightling, a 2025 action‑adventure from Twirlbound, was signed while the studio was under its previous owner and represented an experimental title for Saber. He described the partnership as a useful learning experience and said those lessons carried into later projects with smaller teams.

Hollenshead pointed to Bus Bound, a driving-and-management hybrid developed by Stillalive and released at the end of April, as an example of recent third‑party work. He said the publisher will continue to evaluate independent teams and is open to signing deals when the fit is right, but declined to identify specific upcoming projects until they are ready for public announcement.

Chief Creative Officer Tim Willits outlined Saber’s approach to project scope and design, stressing a focus on a clear gameplay idea and realistic scope. “We have a group of folks that are really passionate about making great games — and we focus on what’s important in a game, and we scope it correctly,” he said.

Willits gave examples of focused goals across the studio’s portfolio, citing swarms in World War Z, the character feel in Space Marine 2, driving in SnowRunner, road construction in Roadcraft, over‑the‑top action in Toxic Commando and scares in Hellraiser as instances of specific design targets informing development.

Saber employs roughly 3,500 people across multiple projects. Willits said the company aims to keep decision‑making fast and preserve the energy of smaller teams while working on a range of internal and externally developed titles.

Saber parted ways with its former owner in 2024 and returned to Beacon Interactive control. The studio continues to publish both internally developed games and third‑party indie projects as it balances larger franchise releases with smaller experiments.