Saber interactive has added an AI disclosure to the Steam page for Rideshare “Stimulator” following a public dispute between the former lead writer, Stella Sacco, and the game developer and publisher. This disclosure comes after Sacco’s allegation that she was removed and replaced by ChatGPT as a writer, allegations that were denied by Saber. In spite of the controversy caused by these allegations, Saber has nevertheless confirmed that generative AI will play a role in the game’s free-ride mode with this disclosure.
The controversy around the game and developer began when Sacco publicly claimed that Saber had replaced her with ChatGPT during the development of the game, specifically alleging that the generative AI was being used to write the dialogue of passengers. Initially, Saber rejected the allegation, stating that Rideshare‘s main story was written by humans and that the developer’s writing staff had actually tripled since 2023. However, the company also acknowledged that AI was being used for the experimental free-ride mode, state that the game is designed around an effectively unlimited number of passengers. Saber has provided additional details about the AI system since then. According to Saber, the game’s writers will use AI prompts to generate batch of dialogue offline instead of generating dialogue every time a player encounters a passenger. Before being incorporated into the game, these prompt-based conversations will be reviewed and edited, since they are intended to be experienced by individual players only. Saber’s intention is to create a large amount of content without relying on constant server-side generation.
The company has defended the use of AI, becoming considerably more forceful recently. Saber has described itself as a believer in using AI tools to enhance gameplay and NPC behavior, and has argued that the technology can help create experiences for players that would otherwise be difficult to make given the company’s scale. The CEO of Saber Interactive, Matthew Karch, went further, stating that he would have been comfortable replacing Sacco with AI in retrospect, only intensifying the conversation around the controversy. The AI disclosure has also contributed to the controversy due to its significance. Valve does require developers to identify certain uses of generative AI on Steam, particularly when AI is used to generate content that appears in the finished game. The disclosure on Rideshare “Stimulator”‘s Steam page, therefore, provides players with information that was previously not present.
Ultimately, Saber’s position separates two questions that have become intertwined in the controversy: whether the company replaced one or more human writers with AI, and whether AI has a legitimate role is present and future game development. Saber has continued to deny the initial allegation while answering the second in the affirmative. The company is not merely experimenting with generative AI with Rideshare “Stimulator”, it is publicly arguing that the emerging technology can help shape how games are made and experienced in the coming years.
