Game studio Saber disputes claim it replaced writers with AI for Rideshare Stimulator

Saber Interactive, developer of the announced game Rideshare Stimulator, publicly denied claims by former lead writer Stella Sacco that the studio replaced her with ChatGPT. In a statement to The Verge, CEO Matthew Karch said, "Neither Saber nor Unigine have replaced any writers with AI." Karch added that the game's story was "written entirely by real people" except for one experimental mode that uses AI due to the need for an infinite number of passenger scenarios.

Sacco responded on Bluesky, asserting she was the lead writer on the project and that Saber replaced her with AI midway through development. She also claimed that all passenger voices in the game were AI-generated and criticized the studio for not disclosing this use of AI on the game's Steam listing. "Either they changed direction at some point or they’re not disclosing it on Steam," Sacco wrote.

Karch's statement to The Verge also addressed broader labor concerns, noting that Saber continues to hire and that none of its more than 3,000 employees have been replaced by AI. The CEO emphasized the studio's long-standing use of AI tools to enhance gameplay and NPC behavior since its founding in 2001.

Sacco contested the framing of AI as merely an enhancement tool, arguing that the studio cannot claim writers wrote the story while simultaneously acknowledging AI-generated text is included. "If rides I wrote are in there, and also rides AI wrote or will write are in there, then AI was still used, and I was still replaced," she said. The conflicting statements underscore a debate over transparency and the role of AI in creative industries.