Image via Unigine/Saber Interactive
Publisher and developer Saber Interactive is promising to update the Steam Page of its recently-announced game Rideshare “Stimulator” with an AI disclosure after defending itself from claims that it and developer Unigine replaced writers with generative AI.
A Saber Interactive spokesperson confirmed the news to Game Developer after we inquired about claims made by veteran game writer Stella Sacco, who posted on Bluesky about their experience working as a lead writer on Rideshare “Stimulator.” Rideshare will use AI technology in an “experimental free-ride mode” that incorporates AI “by necessity,” as the game generates an infinite number of passengers for players to haul from one location to the next.
“The Steam page will be updated once the feature set is finalized,” the spokesperson said. “We are touting this experimental mode as a feature, not shying away from it.”
According to Sacco, she had been working as a lead writer on Rideshare but was “replaced with ChatGPT midway through development.”
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“All the passenger voices were AI too,” she added. “Either they changed direction at some point or they’re not disclosing it on Steam.” She provided a contemporaneous Facebook screenshot documenting when she first said she had been replaced by ChatGPT in the workplace from 2023 to support her claim.
Saber denies that this took place. “Neither Saber nor Unigine have replaced any writers with AI for Rideshare or any other game,” a company spokesperson said in a statement to Game Developer. They added that Saber’s writing staff has “tripled” since 2023, when Sacco made her Facebook post, saying the game’s story was “written entirely by real people.”
“We are firm believers in using AI tools to improve or enhance gameplay experiences and improve NPC behavior as we have done since Saber was founded in 2001,” the spokesperson said. “As the industry has continued to contract, Saber continues to hire. None of our 3000+ employees have to worry about being replaced by AI.”
Saber’s denial comes in the wake of growing developer discontent over the use of generative AI technology in game development, with an increasing number of industry professionals believing the technology will have a negative impact of the industry and have a harmful effect on the quality of games.
In follow-up posts on Bluesky, Sacco said the directive to use generative AI on Rideshare came from CEO Matt Karch, who made waves this week when he confirmed that the trailer for Rideshare “Stimulator” contains a joke license plate making fun of Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford. “The dig is because Randy took shots at Embracer in Borderlands 4,” Saber CEO Matt Karch said in a comment to Game File. “Without Embracer, Randy is performing magic tricks at birthday parties for a living.”
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Karch has spent the last few years defending Embracer Group chairman and former CEO Lars Wingefors from what he says is unfair criticism. Sacco said she warned Karch that at the time, she warned Karch that players would push back on generative AI use in Rideshare.
He further stoked the flames of controversy in comments made to This Week In Video Games where he made numerous disparaging comments about his former employee.
Sacco posted her own response to Karch on Bluesky, where she reiterated that all of her claims about the company were “true.” “I’m comfortable with what I said, and everyone got to see what kind of man is running Saber,” she concluded.
About the Author
Senior Editor, GameDeveloper.com
Bryant Francis is a writer, journalist, and narrative designer based in Boston, MA. He currently writes for Game Developer, a leading B2B publication for the video game industry. His credits include Proxy Studios’ 4X strategy game Zephon, Iron Anchor Studios’ Down With The Ship, and Amplitude Studio’s 2017 game Endless Space 2.
