Fortune has word that Tim Willits is joining Saber Interactive as the company's Chief Creative Officer, following the news last month of his departure from id Software after 24 years. Saber Interactive is an independent American developer with offices around the world. Their catalog includes World War Z, Spintires: MudRunner, and NBA Playgrounds. In a connection with id Software, they also contributed to Quake Champions. Here's a bit that includes some quotes from Tim on his new post:

As CCO, Willits will help Saber shape its overarching creative vision, helping the company expand its existing player base and working with the studio’s 500-plus employees in five studios around the world to come up with new intellectual properties.

A multi-national studio with that many employees might not sound like most independent developers, but Willits says the work style is much the same as—and drastically different from—how things work at a large developer/publisher like Bethesda or Activision.

There was an appeal in returning to that sort of environment for him. Until 10 years ago, id was an independent development studio that was able to chase impulses and pivot quickly. The company (and Willits) worked with Saber on Quake Champions years ago, and he says he was impressed with their operation.

“The agility of small teams and the opportunity to get stuff done quickly can’t be overstated,” says Willits. “I’m not saying anything bad about Bethesda—I love them—but smaller teams are exciting and fun. When someone has a good idea, we jump on it. If it doesn’t work out, we change it quick.”

Saber’s looking to keep that design philosophy, but it’s not planning to stay stagnant. Willits says the company is actively looking for new teams and studios in which to invest.