Saber Interactive CEO responds to claims that a writer was replaced with AI

Saber Interactive is in the middle of a public dispute over how much generative AI is being used on Rideshare Simulator, its upcoming driving game. Former lead writer Stella Sacco says she was removed from the project and replaced with ChatGPT partway through development, including for passenger dialogue and planned live updates.

CEO Matt Karch pushed back hard, saying no writers were replaced by AI on Rideshare or any other Saber project. He said the game’s story was written entirely by real people, while an experimental free-ride mode uses AI because it can generate an effectively infinite number of passengers. Karch also said Saber’s writing staff has tripled since 2023 and that the studio continues hiring despite industry contraction.

The practical issue for developers is disclosure and trust. Rideshare Simulator’s Steam page currently carries no AI notice, even though Valve requires developers to flag generative AI content that reaches players directly. Karch said the page will be updated once the feature set is finalized, and described the AI use as a feature rather than something to hide.

Sacco has stood by her account and says she warned management that players would react badly to AI use. For teams shipping with any generative pipeline, this is a reminder that internal policy, public messaging, and store-page compliance all need to line up before launch.