Former id Software director joins Saber Interactive

Former id Software director Tim Willits got himself a new gig at Saber Interactive.

Image credit: Tim Willits (Twitter)

On August 1, Willits officially became the studio’s chief creative director. He said that the opportunity to join Saber meant for hime finally being able to work on a different genre. At id Software, he dealt exclusively with first-person shooters, according to PC Gamer .

“In a Quake or Doom game, everything has to be perfect—every microsecond. The games I’ve made in the past, they’re not the easiest games to play, but I’ve learned a lot on how to bring people in,” he said. “And I do think there’s a lot of crossover. Even in World War Z, a lot of the mechanics are similar, but I do really believe I can bring some of that intensity and action into new genres.”

Tim Willits, Chief Creative Officer at Saber Interactive

In Willits’ words, he watched Saber Interactive expand as the studio worked on Quake Champions with id Software. Willits is convinced that he couldn’t have landed a new job at a better time. He now plans to “work on fun stuff.”

“The agility of small teams and the opportunity to get stuff done quickly can’t be overstated. I’m not saying anything bad about Bethesda—I love them—but smaller teams are exciting and fun. When someone has a good idea, we jump on it. If it doesn’t work out, we change it quick.”

Tim Willits, Chief Creative Officer at Saber Interactive

At id Software, Willits spent about 24 years. He announced his intention to leave the studio in July, but has only now revealed his current occupation.

Saber’s latest game, World War Z, was a commercial success for its publisher, Focus Home Interactive. This third-person zombie shooter accounted for almost half of the publisher’s revenue for the fiscal quarter. As of the end of June, the game had sold 2 million copies.