Saber's CEO Has Apologised to the Writer He Said He'd Happily Have Replaced with AI
Saber says AI will improve gameplay and NPC behavior as the game lacks a Steam disclosure, while ex-writer Stella Sacco says she was replaced by ChatGPT.
- On August 11, former narrative designer Stella Sacco alleged on BlueSky that Saber Interactive replaced her with ChatGPT while developing Rideshare Stimulator, claiming all passenger voices were AI-generated.
- Saber Interactive Matthew Karch disputed Sacco's account, stating the company terminated her for performance reasons and that writing staff tripled since 2023.
- Sacco claimed she warned Matt Karch in Dec 2023 that players would dislike AI implementation, while Saber maintains they use AI tools to enhance gameplay and NPC behavior since company founding.
- Both parties continue trading barbs on BlueSky, with Sacco describing Matt Karch's statement as a "screed" and Karch accusing Sacco of violating a confidentiality clause.
- Despite officially announcing AI use in a gameplay capacity, Rideshare Stimulator still lacks an AI disclosure on its Steam Page despite Steam's policy requirements.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Saber Interactive's AI and CEO controversy explained
Saber Interactive, the developers behind titles like World War Z and John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando, has been under heavy scrutiny following a former employee’s claim that she was fired from development of Rideshare “Stimulator” in favor of ChatGPT. While the company initially denied the claims, the situation only got stranger when Saber Interactive CEO, Matthew Karch, gave a baffling statement mocking the former employee and claiming that an u…
Saber CEO puts out worst AI-brained response ever after developer claims she was replaced by ChatGPT
In response to Rideshare Simulator‘s lead writer, Stella Sacco, accusing Saber Interactive of replacing her with ChatGPT, the company’s chief executive, Matt Karch, wrote a hideous response to her, and I have no choice but to paste it in here, in full, for the world to see. As spotted on GamesIndustry.biz, the CEO’s screed is up there with some of the worst things I’ve ever spoken about, and it’s not because it’s so closely related to AI (though…
After days of heated controversy, CEO Matt Karch presented a private apology to Stella Sacco. The ex-chief writer claimed to have been replaced by a machine for writing the title Rideshare Simulator. A burning affair that highlights the monster tensions associated with automation in modern creative processes.
Saber's AI Rideshare Stimulator controversy almost closes on high note with CEO apology, then he calls Portal scribe who mocked him an 'unsuccessful writer'
The Rideshare Stimulator AI fiasco almost, but not quite came to a close today when writer Stella Sacco shared that she had received a private message from Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch, who apologized for his hurtful comments to the press regarding her employment and capabilities.In a separate post on LinkedIn, Karch reflected on the controversy and seemingly alluded to his personal contact with Sacco. But he also couldn't resist taking a…
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