Saber Interactive will add an AI disclosure label to its upcoming title Rideshare Stimulator on Steam following public backlash. CEO Matthew Karch confirmed the decision while denying claims that a writer was replaced by ChatGPT, emphasizing that the game’s story was written entirely by humans.
Matthew Karch Confirms Steam AI Label After Backlash
The leadership at Saber Interactive is bowing to platform pressures and public criticism by updating its storefront presence. The boss of Rideshare Stimulator publisher Saber Interactive confirmed that an AI label will be added to the game’s Steam page following public criticism. Steam policy requires developers to report visible and in-game AI, but not background tools.
Speaking to IGN, Saber CEO Matthew Karch insisted the company wasn’t shying away from its technical implementations. The game incorporates generative speech and text within a secondary mode, and once those components are finalized, the Steam page will be updated.
Disputed Writer Replacement Claims and Studio Realities
The public friction escalated when former writer Stella Sacco alleged she had been pushed off the project. Sacco stated on social media that she was lead writer on the project and was replaced by ChatGPT midway through development while working with studio Unigine. To support her timeline, she shared a screenshot of a Facebook status dated December 2023 reading that she had been replaced on one of her games at work with ChatGPT.
Stella Sacco, the former writer on the project, stated that while it was possible the company changed direction on the project in the intervening years, she had been removed with the intention of being replaced by AI, and that AI was in use on the project the entire time she was on it, whether for voice or text. Stella Sacco, former writer
Karch firmly denied that any writer lost their job to automation. According to statements provided by the publisher, neither Saber nor Unigine replaced any writers with AI for Rideshare or any other game. The organization maintained that its writing staff has tripled since 2023, and the narrative itself was penned entirely by humans.
The Free-Ride Mode and Infinite Passenger Mechanics
While the core story remains human-authored, the title relies on AI for its unstructured gameplay elements. Karch explained that the project features an unrelated experimental mode built to play around with these concepts.
Because this sandbox environment features an infinite number of characters, incorporating automated systems was a practical necessity. Karch noted that incorporating these features actually required adding two writers and multiple coders to work with AI tools, driving net costs higher than leaving them out.
“My PR team is always terrified by even broaching the subject but I would be happy to engage in a reasonable conversation about how AI can and should help shape gamer experiences,” he continued. “It’s not and has never been about efficiencies and team reductions. Rather it’s about how AI can improve the game experience.”
Matthew Karch, CEO
Community Fallout and Steam Forum Backlash
The Steam forum for Rideshare Stimulator is packed with complaints from prospective buyers demanding transparency over generative tools.
Some forum participants threatened to place the developer on ignore lists, while others criticized the integration of synthetic assets outright. Karch dismissed a portion of the ongoing discourse as a sideshow and a publicity stunt, noting that the initial dispute stemmed from a personnel change that occurred three years ago.
Sacco maintained her stance on the controversy via social media. Pointing to the public exchange, she stated that the episode would highlight executive communication standards to a broader audience.
“Everything I said was true,” Sacco said in a post on social media. “Here’s more truth: that statement is remarkably pathetic for the CEO of any company to be making, and combined with the AI use it will do far more damage to Saber’s reputation than it ever could mine.”
Stella Sacco, former writer
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