A major controversy is brewing at Saber Interactive, the studio that recently made waves with Space Marine 2. The reason is a public dispute between CEO Matt Karch and former lead writer Stella Sacco – and it now has tangible consequences for the upcoming driving simulation game Rideshare “Stimulator”.
Sacco accuses the studio of gradually replacing her with ChatGPT during development, without disclosing it on the game's Steam page. Her core allegation: a large portion of the dialogue and character texts she originally worked on was later rewritten or supplemented by an AI – without customers being aware of it when they purchase the game.
What Did Saber CEO Matt Karch Say About the Accusations?
Karch publicly denied directly replacing Sacco with AI – but this did not de-escalate the situation; on the contrary. He was quoted in consistent reports by IGN and Eurogamer as saying he would have been “happy” to replace her with AI in hindsight. This statement truly fanned the flames: instead of calming the dispute, Karch poured oil on the fire and provided Sacco and the community with new ammunition.
Will Rideshare Stimulator Now Get an AI Label on Steam?
Yes. Following the public dispute, Saber Interactive has announced that it will retroactively apply a correct AI disclosure label to the Steam page of Rideshare “Stimulator”. Steam mandates studios via Valve's Content Survey to explicitly label AI-generated content that appears in the final game or on the store page. Apparently, this disclosure was previously missing for Rideshare “Stimulator” – a point Sacco cited as a central criticism.
Context: This case is part of an ongoing debate that has gripped the gaming industry for months: where does the sensible use of AI tools end, and where does the silent replacement of creative work with cheaper automation begin? The fact that a studio like Saber Interactive, which recently landed a genuine million-selling hit with Space Marine 2, is making headlines for a comparatively small side project shows just how sensitive this topic has become. Karch's statement can hardly be seen as accidental – it provides critics in the industry with a prime example of how little appreciation creative work apparently still receives in some executive suites, even when the studio publicly backpedals.
For players, this announcement primarily means one thing: more transparency when they next look at the store page for Rideshare “Stimulator” – and a precedent against which other studios in similar situations will have to measure themselves in the future.
What do you think of Karch's statement – a slip of the tongue or an honest opinion? Let us know in the comments!
Comments (0)
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.