Tim Willits, the chief creative officer at Saber Interactive, has weighed in on the controversy sparked by CEO Matthew Karch’s response to allegations that a member of the studio’s writing team was substituted with ChatGPT. The dispute began when former lead writer Stella Sacco publicly asserted in August that she had been the primary author for Saber’s upcoming title, Rideshare Simulator, but that the company "replaced me with ChatGPT midway through development." Karch’s rebuttal was blunt and dismissive.
He wrote, "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, insisting, "Everything I said was true. Here's more truth: that statement is remarkably pathetic for the CEO of any company to be making." When GamesIndustry.biz approached Willits at Gamescom for comment, he framed the exchange as a case of "Matt’s sarcasm, that’s all." He then emphasized the core point that Saber Interactive has never swapped a human writer for an artificial‑intelligence system. "That’s crazy," Willits said, adding that none of the studio’s flagship franchises—Space Marine, Hellraiser, Stuntman, and the like—make use of generative AI in any substantive way.
Nevertheless, Willits acknowledged that the company is actively experimenting with AI tools, not because they have already become a production staple, but because the industry is still figuring out where the technology can add genuine value. He cited the upcoming Rideshare Simulator as a testbed, noting that an "AI mode" is being trialed alongside the traditional human‑crafted content.
"Very clearly, the main campaign, side missions, characters and dialogue were all written by humans," he stressed. "Even the side missions were all written by humans." The Steam store page for Rideshare Simulator provides a transparent breakdown of AI involvement. It states that the primary campaign story, characters, and dialogue are the product of a human writing team, while AI tools are employed for voice generation and certain aspects of localization.
Additionally, the optional "Free Ride" mode offers AI‑generated passenger missions and localized dialogue, and the in‑game radio stations blend both human‑composed tracks and AI‑generated music. Willits clarified that, at present, Saber does not incorporate generative AI into core production pipelines such as code development, environment design, or texture creation.
He suggested that the technology may eventually find a more integrated role, but that the industry is still in a discovery phase. "We’ll probably see a developer come up with a clever and brilliant use case for true modern AI integration into an experience where everyone will be like, ‘Oh, that’s it,’ and everyone will understand how it can be used.
Until then, it’s like any new technology in history—people wonder what to do with it and how it will work, and then we discover where it fits into everyday life," he explained. Looking ahead, Willits expressed optimism about AI’s potential impact on game design. He predicted that by next year’s Gamescom, larger titles might begin to showcase more pronounced AI features. "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 receive it, and how it gets integrated. It’s a great experiment," he said. In summary, while Saber Interactive is testing AI in limited, auxiliary capacities—such as voice synthesis, localized text, and optional mission generation—the core narrative and design work for its games remains firmly in human hands.
Willits’ comments aim to dispel the notion that the studio has replaced any writer with a chatbot, and they underscore a broader industry conversation about the responsible and transparent use of AI in interactive entertainment. The full interview with Willits can be found on GamesIndustry.biz.