Tim Willits, an id Software veteran since 1995, announced yesterday that he has accepted a role at Saber Interactive.
“I am excited to announce that on August 1st I became the Chief Creative Officer of Saber Interactive. I will be leading the creative vision of our five studios around the world,” Willits tweeted.
Saber CEO Matthew Karch said, “We’re truly honoured Tim would make such a monumental move to join us. 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.”
Earlier this year, Saber released World War Z to strong sales. The company previously released NBA Playgrounds, an arcade basketball game, in 2017. Additionally, Saber is responsible for the upcoming Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered and the much anticipated/dreaded Switch port of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Willits was one of a few developers remaining at id from the company’s early days. He joined the Doom Eternal developer in 1995 as a level designer for The Ultimate DOOM. He had worked as studio head since 2012, overseeing the revitalization of the DOOM franchise, along with new Rage and Quake instalments.
Announcing the departure
Willits announced his departure from id on July 18.
“After 24 years, I’ve decided to leave id Software after QuakeCon,” Willits wrote. “I’ve been extremely lucky to work with the best people in the industry on truly amazing games. QuakeCon has been an unbelievable part of my journey and I look forward to seeing everyone at the Gaylord Texan [the convention centre where QuakeCon is held].”
“All of the games currently in development are in very good hands, my departure will not affect any planned releases. id Software is packed full of amazing talent that will continue to develop (long into the future) some of the best shooters in the world,” he added in a thread below the original tweet. “After QuakeCon I will announce my future plans, where I am going, and what new exciting things I am doing. Stay tuned.”
Well, now we know. Time will tell how Willits’ presence impacts Saber Interactive going forward.
