Following the collapse of a «verbal agreement» reportedly worth $2 billion with the Saudi-funded Savvy Games, Embracer Group entered into a brutal nine-month restructuring programme that resulted in the loss of some 1,400 employees and the cancellation of dozens of unannounced games. CEO Lars Wingefors, whose actions were recently defended by Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch («give Lars a break»), in a new interview, says: «As a leader and an owner, sometimes you need to take the blame.»
Saber boss Karch: "We don't have to sell a game for $70"
12.04.2024 - 08:01 / pcgamesinsider.biz / Matthew Karch
The boss of the newly independent Saber Interactive, Matthew Karch has questioned the business logic of charing $70 for a new release.
In an interview with GI.biz, the exec pointed to titles such as Helldivers 2, as well as indie releases like Palworld and Valheim as not needing to charge that amount for be successful.
"We don't have to sell a game for $70," Karch said.
"I'd prefer not to, I think that's expensive, I don't like that. It's almost not fair. Part of the reason Helldivers 2 has had the success that it's had [is] because it comes in at a much lower price point and it's accessible.
"Five years ago, all you heard about was the next Assassin's Creed or the next Call of Duty, Far Cry, Battlefield, or whatever else it was; the whole industry waited with bated breath for those games to come out, those were the juggernauts. But now you're seeing stuff like Palworld, Helldivers 2, and Valheim coming out and killing it. 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."
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