Steve Allison, who helmed the Epic Games Store as vice president and general manager for eight years, has departed Epic Games to join Saber Interactive as its new Chief Business Officer. Allison's tenure at Epic began in 2018, the same year the company launched its PC storefront.
In a statement, Allison expressed his admiration for Saber Interactive's founders and the studio's capability to produce high-quality games at a significantly lower cost than industry norms. He highlighted Saber's upcoming projects, including Space Marine 3, Jurassic Park, Turok, Hellraiser, and the John Wick game, as exceptional.
Allison's career in the gaming industry predates his time at Epic. He previously served as senior vice president of publishing at Telltale Games and held executive positions at Midway, Atari, and Accolade. Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch lauded Allison's contributions to modernizing the game industry and his extensive knowledge. "We are lucky to have him help lead Saber into the next phase of our journey," Karch remarked.
While the exact departure date is not specified, Allison's LinkedIn indicated he was still with Epic in July. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney acknowledged Allison's role in launching the Epic Games Store and growing its monthly active users to 78 million. However, some commentary surrounding Allison's departure noted ongoing criticisms of the Epic Games Store launcher's functionality, which Epic had acknowledged and planned to address with a major technical overhaul.
Launched in 2018, the Epic Games Store has expanded its user base significantly, partly through its strategy of distributing free games. Despite reaching 78 million monthly active users, it continues to trail behind Steam, which is estimated to have around 200 million monthly active users.
Saber Interactive, founded in 2001, has a history that includes titles like Will Rock and TimeShift, and collaborations on projects such as Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. The studio was acquired by Embracer in 2020 and subsequently repurchased by Karch for $247 million in 2024, along with several other studios, effectively re-establishing it as a major independent entity.