Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch has escalated the controversy surrounding the upcoming Rideshare “Stimulator” after issuing a sharp response to claims from former Saber lead writer Stella Sacco. The dispute centers on Sacco’s allegation that she was removed from the project in favor of ChatGPT, something Saber strongly denies despite confirming that AI will be used in part of the game.
In brief:
- Former Saber writer Stella Sacco claims she was replaced by ChatGPT while working on Rideshare “Stimulator.”
- Saber denies replacing writers with AI but confirms an experimental free-ride mode will use AI.
- CEO Matthew Karch issued a combative response criticizing Sacco and disputing her account.
- Saber says Rideshare “Stimulator” will eventually receive an updated Steam disclosure regarding its AI features.
Saber CEO Responds to Former Writer’s AI Claims
Sacco said she served as a lead writer on the project and claimed Saber replaced her with ChatGPT midway through development. She also alleged passenger voices were generated using AI. Saber has rejected the accusation, maintaining that the main story was written entirely by humans.
However, Saber acknowledged that an experimental free-ride mode will incorporate AI because it is designed around a potentially huge number of passenger interactions.
Karch later addressed Sacco directly in a follow-up statement to This Week in Videogames, opening with, “Stella who? I had to ask Claude.” He claimed he had never spoken to her and said Sacco had violated a confidentiality clause by discussing the project before Saber was ready to reveal its AI features.
Karch also claimed Sacco had actually been replaced by another writer and was terminated months later for unrelated reasons. He went further by saying that, in retrospect, he would have been happy to replace her with AI, adding that it would at least be “programmed to be honest.” Sacco subsequently responded that her previous statements were true.
The unusually personal exchange has intensified attention around the game, adding to criticism already appearing across YouTube and Steam discussions following the original allegations.
Rideshare “Stimulator” Will Get an AI Disclosure
Rideshare “Stimulator” is developed by UNIGINE and published by Saber Interactive. Its current Steam listing does not visibly disclose its generative AI implementation.
Valve’s Steamworks guidelines require developers using AI to create player-facing content, including narrative, sound, or live-generated material, to detail that implementation through Steam’s Content Survey. Karch says Saber intends to update the Steam page once the game’s feature set is finalized.
