Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch has publicly defended the company's embrace of artificial intelligence, including generative speech and text, in upcoming titles like Rideshare Stimulator. His comments come amidst controversy initiated by former lead writer Stella Sacco, who alleged she was replaced by ChatGPT midway through the game's development.
Sacco initially stated on social media that she was the lead writer for Rideshare Stimulator and that Saber replaced her with ChatGPT, with passenger voices also being AI-generated. She expressed surprise at the game's announcement, noting the absence of Steam's required AI disclosure.
Saber Interactive initially denied Sacco's claims to PC Gamer, stating that neither Saber nor its subsidiary Unigine had replaced writers with AI for any game. However, the company later clarified that generative AI is indeed used in Rideshare Stimulator, specifically for an undisclosed "free ride" mode featuring an "infinite" number of passengers.
Sacco countered Saber's statement, asserting to PC Gamer that her job was to write the game until CEO Matthew Karch decided that using ChatGPT would generate positive publicity. She further revealed that her boss had argued against replacing her with AI, emphasizing her capabilities and past live-game experience, but ultimately acquiesced to executive pressure that framed AI use as "great marketing."
In response to Sacco's detailed account, Karch adopted a combative stance in a statement to This Week In Video Games. He claimed ignorance of Sacco, stating he had to ask another AI, Claude, to identify her, and that he had never spoken to her. Karch reiterated that Saber is using AI for specific game components and will update the Steam page accordingly. He went on to claim Sacco was "replaced by someone more talented and terminated for a variety of reasons a few months later," and suggested she "enjoys controversy even more than I do." Karch added that, in retrospect, he would have been "happy to replace her with AI. At least we would be dealing with someone programmed to be honest."
Sacco responded to Karch's remarks, telling This Week In Video Games that the CEO's statement was "pathetic" and that his aggressive reaction indicated he did not want the AI use in the game to be widely known. She maintained the truth of her initial claims and predicted that Karch's statement and the AI usage would damage Saber's reputation more than her own.
This is not the first time Karch has courted controversy. He previously made a remark that many perceived as a jab at Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford in the announcement trailer for Rideshare Stimulator. Additionally, Karch commented on a video by YouTuber Asmongold praising Saber's Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. In his comment, Karch expressed a desire for games to return to a focus on "fun and immersion," criticizing games that he felt engaged in "overblown attempts at messaging or imposing morals on gamers." This sentiment was widely interpreted as an "anti-woke" statement, particularly in light of Asmongold's previous criticisms of games featuring diverse casts.