Tim Willits, the chief creative officer at Saber Interactive, weighed in on the controversy sparked by CEO Matthew Karch’s response to allegations that a staff writer had been replaced by an artificial‑intelligence tool. The dispute began when Stella Sacco, who identified herself as the lead writer for Saber’s forthcoming title Rideshare Simulator, posted in August that she had been "replaced by ChatGPT midway through development." Karch answered with a sharply worded remark: "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 that her statements were accurate and calling Karch’s reply "remarkably pathetic for the CEO of any company to be making." The public spat caught the attention of GamesIndustry.biz, which approached Willits at Gamescom for comment. Willits dismissed the CEO’s tone as "just Matt’s sarcasm, that’s all," and then moved to the core issue.
"The bottom line is that we have never swapped a human team member for AI," Willits said. "That idea is absurd.
None of the narrative work on Space Marine, Hellraiser, Stuntman or any of our other projects has been generated by generative AI. All of those scripts, side‑quests and character dialogues were crafted by people." He added that while Saber is not currently employing AI to write core story content, the studio is experimenting with the technology in limited, controlled ways to understand where it might add value.
According to the disclosure on the Steam store page for Rideshare Simulator, the "main campaign story, characters, and dialogue are written by a team of human writers," while AI tools are only used for voice synthesis and some aspects of localization. The page also notes that the optional "Free Ride" mode includes AI‑generated passenger missions and localized dialogue, and that the in‑game radio stations blend human‑composed tracks with music produced by AI. Willits emphasized that Saber does not rely on generative AI for core production pipelines such as code development, level design, or texture creation.
"We’re still a human‑centric studio when it comes to the fundamentals of game making," he explained. "Our experiments are confined to peripheral features where we can safely gauge player reaction without compromising the artistic integrity of the main experience." Looking ahead, Willits speculated that the industry will eventually discover a breakthrough use case for modern AI that feels inevitable, much like previous technological leaps. "At some point a developer will devise a clever, brilliant integration of true AI that makes everyone say, ‘That’s it—this is how it belongs in games.’ Until then, it’s the same pattern we’ve seen with every new tool: initial skepticism, questions about practicality, and then gradual adoption as the benefits become clear." He expressed optimism about the trajectory of AI in gaming, predicting that larger titles will begin to spotlight the technology at the next Gamescom.
"I think next year we’ll see some bigger games that actually focus on it," Willits said. "I’m curious to see how it plays out for us, how it works in our Rideshare game, how players respond, and how we can weave it into the experience without it feeling like a gimmick. It’s a great experiment and an exciting frontier." The broader conversation touches on a key industry tension: balancing the efficiency and creative possibilities of AI with the need to preserve authentic human storytelling. While Saber’s leadership assures that its flagship narratives remain human‑crafted, the company’s willingness to test AI in ancillary roles signals a measured approach.
By limiting AI to voice generation, localization, and optional mission content, Saber aims to gather data on player acceptance and technical reliability without risking the core narrative voice. In summary, Tim Willits reaffirmed that no writer at Saber Interactive has been replaced by an AI system. The studio continues to rely on human talent for the primary storytelling elements of its games, while cautiously exploring AI’s supportive capabilities. The ongoing experiments with AI‑generated missions and music in Rideshare Simulator serve as a sandbox for future integration, and Willits expects that as the technology matures, more prominent titles will begin to showcase AI in ways that feel natural and compelling to gamers.
The full interview with Willits can be read on GamesIndustry.biz.