Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch has pushed back against allegations from former lead writer Stella Sacco, who claimed on social media that the studio replaced her with ChatGPT during development on the upcoming game Rideshare Stimulator. While Sacco asserted that generative AI tools took over her duties midway through the project, Saber explicitly denied the claims, maintaining that human writers authored the game’s narrative.
The Origins of the Dispute Over Rideshare Stimulator
The public controversy surfaced after Sacco posted on Bluesky alleging that she was removed from her role as lead writer on Rideshare Stimulator and substituted with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. According to Sacco, the transition occurred mid-development, and she further claimed that the passenger voice assets in the game were also generated using artificial intelligence. To support her timeline, Sacco shared a screenshot of a social media post from December 2023 stating that she had been replaced on a project by a chatbot. Her LinkedIn profile confirms a tenure as lead writer at Saber Interactive from July 2023 through July 2024, a period covering work on titles such as Stuntman Hollywood.
Sacco elaborated on the internal dynamics in subsequent posts reported by Tech Yahoo, alleging that the decision to introduce generative text came from upper management despite resistance from her direct supervisors. The allegations quickly generated online friction across YouTube and Valve’s Steam platform, with users scrutinizing the absence of explicit AI disclosures on the game’s storefront page.
Saber Interactive Defends Its Development Pipeline
Addressing the backlash, Saber issued a formal statement denying that any writing personnel were swapped out for automation. According to statements provided to PC Gamer and highlighted by The AI Chronicle, the studio stated, “Neither Saber nor Unigine have replaced any writers with AI for Rideshare or any other game.” Karch’s team emphasized that the corporate writing staff has tripled since 2023, asserting that the primary story for Rideshare Stimulator was written entirely by human authors.
At the same time, the studio acknowledged that the game incorporates automated systems for specific operational mechanics. The title features an experimental free-ride mode that relies on algorithmic generation to handle an infinite pool of passengers. Saber noted that utilizing computational tools to refine non-player character (NPC) behavior is a standard practice the company has maintained since its founding in 2001. The studio added that its workforce exceeds 3,000 employees and defended its labor practices amid broader industry contractures.
Diverging Accounts and Industry Transparency
Sacco maintained her stance in response to the studio’s denials, telling PC Gamer that her firsthand experience on the project contradicts management’s public statements. She stated that she was removed specifically so that ChatGPT could author remaining narrative text and planned live-service updates. This back-and-forth underscores ongoing tensions regarding labor protection, creative integrity, and disclosure standards for generative machine learning models within modern software pipelines.
As independent developers and large publishers alike weigh the integration of large language models against traditional writing staffs, consumer scrutiny on platforms like Steam remains high. While Saber maintains that human oversight anchors its narrative design, the debate highlights the friction between corporate messaging and creative labor in the era of scalable text generation.
