Saber Interactive Won't Change Communications Strategy After AI Writer Controversy

Saber Interactive's Chief Creative Officer Tim Willits has confirmed the studio will not alter its communications strategy in the wake of controversy surrounding CEO Matthew Karch's remarks about using AI to replace a writer on Rideshare Stimulator.

In an interview at Gamescom with PC Gamer, Willits acknowledged that studio leadership has a reputation for bluntness. "Sometimes we 'say what we mean' too much," he said. When pressed on whether recent backlash would prompt a shift in approach, Willits replied "no," characterizing the incident as typical industry friction. "I've been in the industry for so long, and there's always some dust up," he explained.

The controversy began when writer Stella Sacco claimed she was fired and replaced with ChatGPT during development of Rideshare Stimulator. Saber's initial response disputed details of her claim, but Karch subsequently issued a statement to This Week In Videogames that was described as aggressively pro-AI and personally insulting to Sacco. Karch later apologized privately to Sacco and released a reflective statement, though it contained a targeted remark toward another games industry writer that was later edited out.

Willits drew a parallel to past controversies, citing the backlash when Saber brought World War Z to Epic Games. "People got mad at Saber because we put World War Z on Epic, and people were like, 'oh, Saber's destroying the industry.' Now 30 million people have played World War Z," he said. "And the games will speak for themselves, even in our experiment with Rideshare Stimulator."

Reflecting Saber's confidence in its portfolio, Willits stated the studio believes "we can get any IP" during an era when long gaps between major releases are common. He encouraged players to judge Rideshare Stimulator themselves upon release. "I encourage people to check it out when it comes out, play it themselves. They may be like 'oh, this is cool! I like this,' you know. And if they don't like it, fine. We are going to stick to making the best games we can."

The studio has since added an AI disclaimer to Rideshare Stimulator's Steam page, which had been absent since the game went live for wishlisting on July 30th. Karch had previously stated the disclaimer would arrive once the game was finalized. Saber Interactive is currently developing multiple titles, including Turok Origins and Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival, both showcased at Gamescom, alongside Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3.