Tim Willits, who serves as the chief creative officer at Saber Interactive, has weighed in on the controversy sparked by CEO Matthew Karch’s response to allegations that a company writer had been substituted with an artificial‑intelligence tool. The dispute began when Stella Sacco, identified in August as the lead writer for Saber’s upcoming title Rideshare Simulator, publicly claimed that the studio "replaced me with ChatGPT midway through development." In reaction, Karch issued a sharply worded reply that dismissed Sacco’s presence entirely: "Stella who?
I had to ask Claude because I have never spoken to her or seen her … As far as Stella is concerned, she was replaced by someone more talented and terminated for a variety of reasons a few months later." Sacco fired back with her own statement, insisting that her original claim was accurate and labeling the CEO’s comment as "remarkably pathetic for the CEO of any company to be making." The back‑and‑forth quickly attracted media attention, prompting GamesIndustry.biz to ask Willits for his perspective during the Gamescom conference. Willits brushed the exchange off as "just Matt’s sarcasm, that’s all," before moving on to the core issue: the use of AI at Saber. "The important thing is that we’ve never replaced anybody with AI.
That’s crazy. And we don’t use generative AI in Space Marine, Hellraiser, Stuntman, or any of our other titles," he said.
He clarified that while the studio is not swapping human talent for machines, it is actively experimenting with AI to understand where the technology might add value in the gaming pipeline. According to Willits, the experimentation is limited to a specific feature in the yet‑to‑be‑released Rideshare Simulator.
"The game we announced, Rideshare Simulator, includes an AI mode we’re testing. Everything else – the main campaign story, characters, dialogue, even side missions – was written by human writers," he emphasized. This distinction mirrors the disclosure found on the game’s Steam page, which states that the primary narrative elements are crafted by a team of human writers while AI tools are employed for voice generation, certain localization tasks, and optional passenger missions in the "Free Ride" mode. The page also notes that the in‑game radio stations blend human‑composed tracks with AI‑generated music.
Willits further explained that Saber does not currently integrate generative AI into core production pipelines such as code development, environment creation, or texture generation. "We’re not using AI to write code or build assets at this point," he said.
Instead, the studio treats AI as an experimental adjunct, akin to any emerging technology that initially raises questions about its practical applications. "When a new tool appears, people ask, ‘What are we going to do with this? How will it work?’ Over time we discover where it fits into everyday workflows," Willits observed.
Looking ahead, Willits expressed optimism that the industry will eventually uncover a compelling, perhaps even iconic, use case for AI that resonates with both developers and players. "One day a developer will come up with a clever, brilliant integration of true modern AI that makes everyone say, ‘That’s it.’ Until then, it’s a process of trial and error," he said. He predicted that the next Gamescom could showcase larger titles that make more pronounced use of AI, and he is eager to see how those experiments unfold, particularly within Saber’s own Rideshare Simulator. The chief creative officer described the ongoing AI work as "a great experiment" and indicated that the studio will continue to monitor player feedback and technical feasibility.
"It will be interesting to see where it goes. I bet at next year’s Gamescom we’ll have some bigger games that actually focus on it. I’m curious to see how it plays out for us, how it works in our Rideshare game, how people will like it, and how it’s integrated," he concluded.
Willits’ full interview with GamesIndustry.biz is slated for publication tomorrow, where he is expected to elaborate further on Saber’s stance, the specifics of the AI mode in Rideshare Simulator, and the broader implications of AI for game development. The conversation underscores a growing industry dialogue about balancing human creativity with the efficiencies and novel possibilities offered by artificial intelligence, while also highlighting the importance of transparency and accurate communication when addressing public concerns.