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Courtship and Marriage: The Union of New World Interactive and Saber

July 28, 2021 at 11AM PT/2PM ET

Keith Warner, CEO of New World Interactive and Matt Karch, CEO of Saber Interactive (one of the eight operating units of Embracer Group), sit down to discuss Saber’s 2020 acquisition of New World. Their conversation dives deep into what things were like for these developers prior to the deal, how New World and Saber approached it, what was similar and different in their perspectives, and the considerations that go into both making a purchase and agreeing to be purchased. They discuss what comes with integrating into a larger organization and provide shared experiences and insights designed to enlighten others around the industry who may find themselves in a similar situation now or in the future. 

Amanda Farough

Business Analyst
& Freelance Journalist

Amanda has spent much of the last ten years running businesses, making websites, and writing about video games... usually within a few hours of one another. She’s a dedicated speaker with over a decade of experience and has presented/moderated at a variety of conferences, including GamesBeat Summit, Playcrafting’s Women in Games event, GameDaily Connect, PAX East/West, and a smattering of small business, digital marketing, and branding conferences. These days, Amanda is the co-host and producer of the Virtual Economy podcast, Director of Communications at video game preservation non-profit Hit Save!, Twitch streamer & affiliate (Ready Player Mom), business & entertainment writer, and co-host on the Engaged Family Gaming podcast.

Matthew Karch

CEO and Co-Founder
Saber Interactive

Since 2001, Matthew Karch has served as Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Saber Interactive, a game development company with studios in multiple locations across the globe and known for its hit titles like World War Z and NBA Playgrounds. Matthew has extensive experience in game design and development, business and legal affairs and is fluent in Russian. In 2020, Saber was acquired by Embracer Group, and Matthew is now part of Embracer ’s Board of Directors.

Keith Warner

CEO
New World Interactive LLC 

Keith started his career in gaming 11 years ago, joining New World Interactive (NWI) three months after it was founded. Since that time, he has worked as the company’s CFO, President and most recently CEO. Keith managed all business-related activities for NWI inclusive of legal, accounting, tax, sales, HR and many others, before orchestrating the sale of the company to the Embracer Group. Prior to NWI, Keith successfully founded, built, and sold three companies in non-game-related industries. He had a brief career on Wall Street and subsequently earned a Master’s degree in finance shortly thereafter. He has also worked previously as a strategy consultant to many companies, advising on activities ranging from M&A to product launches, marketing to growth strategies, investment raises to organizational design.