Saber Interactive refutes claims of substituting a writer with AI

Saber Interactive has rejected claims of replacing a writer with ChatGPT for their upcoming game, Rideshare Stimulator. The denial comes after accusations from Stella Sacco, who alleges she was removed from her role as lead writer during the game's development.

According to Sacco's LinkedIn, she served as Saber's lead writer from July 2023 to July 2024. In a post on Bluesky, she stated, "I was lead writer on this one! And Saber replaced me with ChatGPT midway through development. All the passenger voices were AI too. Either they changed direction at some point, or they're not disclosing it on Steam."

She further commented: "When this directive was issued, I warned Matt Karch, who pushed for AI integration, that players disliked AI in Dec[ember] 2023 and would oppose it even more by the game's release. I predicted this backlash. He ignored me, my superior, and seemingly everyone else."

Saber Interactive countered these claims in a statement to PC Gamer, saying: "Saber and Unigine did not replace any writers with AI for Rideshare or any other game. In fact, Saber's writing team has expanded three times since 2023. The story for Rideshare was entirely crafted by humans.

"The game will feature an experimental, free-ride mode that necessarily uses AI because the number of passengers is limitless. We believe in utilizing AI tools to enhance gameplay and improve NPC interactions, a method we've employed since our founding in 2001. Despite industry challenges, Saber continues to grow its workforce. None of our 3000+ team members need to fear replacement by AI."

Nonetheless, Sacco maintains her stance following Saber's rebuttal.

"They can make any statement they wish – I was part of it, I even mentioned it on Facebook back then, and I've referenced it multiple times on Bluesky without naming the game.

"They removed me from the project to let ChatGPT handle the remaining text, including future live updates. If there has been a change of plans since, that's fine, but again: I was involved, it was my assignment to write the game, until Matt Karch chose ChatGPT for its potential promotional appeal."

The game's Steam page does not disclose the use of AI, contrary to Valve's guidelines that necessitate developers to declare generative AI content that reaches consumers directly.

Earlier this year, GamesIndustry.biz conducted a series about AI, exploring its benefits for coding and its role in game development overall.