One month ago, id Software studio director Tom Willits left the company after a 24-year career. This week, he announced that he’ll be joining World War Z developer Saber Interactive as the studio’s new chief creative officer.
“From the very beginning, Saber’s entrepreneurial passion, skill and culture for game development reminded me of the early days of id,” Willits said in a press release. “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.”
Willits served as id Software’s studio director from 2013 to 2019, where he presided over the development of RAGE and the DOOM reboot. Before that, he was the lead designer on Doom 3, and worked on the Quake franchise in various roles. He is also known for his many appearances as the face of the studio at multiple events, including the id-focused Quakecon.
“We’re truly honored Tim would make such a monumental move to join us,” Saber CEO Matthew Karch said in a press release. “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.”
Willits will take charge of Saber’s various teams, which is headquartered out of Maplewood, New Jersey, but has additional offices in Saint Petersburg, Russia; Madrid, Spain; Minsk, Belarus; and Sundsvall, Sweden. In addition to World War Z, Saber has developed a diverse array of games, which range from the Shaq-Fu sequel Shaq-Fu: The Legend Reborn, NBA Playgrounds, and Spintires: MudRunner. The studio’s planned releases for 2019 include Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on the Nintendo Switch.
