Tim Willits joins Saber Interactive as COO

Former id Software’s studio director, Tim Willits, has joined World War Z and NBA Playgrounds developer, Saber Interactive, as chief creative officer.

A press release from the company states Willits “will help shape and expand the creative vision for Saber’s five studios around the world” as it prepares for the upcoming releases such as Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on Nintendo Switch.

Willits confirmed he was leaving the Doom developer after 24 years at the company a few weeks ago. In a brief tweet on his personal Twitter account, Willits said that whilst he’s been “extremely lucky to work with the best people in the industry on truly amazing games”, he “decided to leave id Software after QuakeCon”.

Willits served as studio director for “FPS pioneer” id Software from 2013-2019, with creative, design and executive management credits on such franchises like Quake, Doom, and Rage. 

“From the very beginning, Saber’s entrepreneurial passion, skill and culture for game development reminded me of the early days of id,” Willits said, reflecting on his new position. “This is a studio which has proven its ability to respond nimbly to trends and community across multiple genres time and again. It’s such a joy to once more be on a team of developers first, one that gets things done, is always innovating, and is hungry to control its own destiny.”

“We’re truly honoured Tim would make such a monumental move to join us,” added Matthew Karch, CEO of Saber. “After years of working together on Quake Champions, we’ve gained a deep mutual respect for one another on both a professional and personal level. The last few years have been transformative for Saber as we expand both as a development partner for third-party IPs around the world and a creator of our own brands — and there’s no better person than Tim to lead our vision as a studio into the future.”