Matthew Karch: You can make great games "at a price that isn't going to kill somebody's bank account"

Saber Interactive head Matthew Karch has been on a press tour since his company’s split from Embracer Group. This time, he shared his thoughts on the sustainability of AAA game production and whether it is going to change in the future.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Karch said he doesn’t like $70 games because “that’s expensive” and publishers don’t have to sell products for that much.

He sees Saber Interactive’s power in the today’s market in the ability to adapt and produce games at a lower price point. Being accessible should be a key strategy for studios, he thinks, adding that one of the reasons behind the success of Helldivers 2 was that launched “at a much lower price point.”

According to Karch, the industry used to look up to “juggernauts” such as Assassin’s Creed, Call of Duty, or Battlefield. “But now you’re seeing stuff like Palworld, Helldivers 2, and Valheim coming out and killing it,” he said of the ongoing shift. “People are realising that there’s [an] opportunity to make great entertainment at a price that isn’t going to kill somebody’s bank account.”

Speaking of Saber’s upcoming ambitious game, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, Karch said he “would love to sell that — at least the digital edition — for less than $70 because we cane, and I think we should.” However, the title will still likely cost that much considering the amount of resources the studio put into it.

Karch believes that AAA development is so expensive because companies keep making these types of games “in the most expensive territories in the world,” adding that there this model is going to change. That’s why Saber has offices across 15 locations, including countries like Serbia, where the cost structure is several times lower than, say, California.

“I can tell you with 100% certainty that our budget for Master Chief Collection was certainly one-twentieth of Halo Infinite, but probably more like one-thirtieth or one-fortieth,” Karch noted. “And I would imagine they’re equally successful.”

Saber Interactive already has several successful games in its portfolio. For example, its 2019 hit World War Z returned 15 times its costs of around $12 million, and Karch says SnowRunner performed even better.

Right now, the company is working on several projects, including the remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando, and Space Marine 2. The latter, according to Karch, will put Saber into “an elite category.”