If you haven't played Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, I highly recommend it, especially if you're going through something stressful. It's a great game for venting your frustrations. Apparently, putting it out was a turning point for developer Saber Interactive, as the studio is now enjoying a prosperous era of development.
That's no exaggeration either, since CCO Tim Willits says Space Marine 2 "literally changed everything" for Saber. "It not only changed the way that the team looks at making games, it changed how people look at us," he tells The Game Business. "I've seen this in my career, when you have a huge hit, when you go to make the next game, everything has to be awesome. It's like, 'This has got to be the most awesome toaster ever.' And it fuels success."
Since it was a licensed project, that opened more doors for the company. Nothing helps land a contract more than a good reputation, leading to Saber having to pick its battles in terms of capabilities. "Because we have a reputation of really doing well with licensed IPs, every major license holder wants to make a video game," Willits says. "It's just the way it is. Everybody. So, we are in a very fortunate position to turn down more than we can accept."
Apparently, there was a particular exciting opportunity Saber had to pass on for just this reason. Willits can't name them, of course, but he knows just how nice of a problem it is to have. "You know you're successful when you've turned down those guys. It's really nice to be in that position," he comments.
Indeed it must be. Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival is Saber's last major outstanding release for the year, a first-person nightmare co-written with Barker himself that comes out in October, just in time for Halloween. Then, next year, we have Hitman Classic Trilogy Remastered, and the likes of Turok: Origins and the long-in-the-works Knights of the Old Republic remake to get dated at some point.
That's just a small sampling as well. Willits isn't kidding about how much is going across the myriad studios Saber operates, and it sounds like there may be more to come as well. I think we can rest easy that Space Marine 3 will happen, and when it does, who knows what Saber will do next. All I know is, more Cenobites, please.
