Tim Willits, the chief creative officer at Saber Interactive, weighed in on the controversy sparked by CEO Matthew Karch’s reaction to allegations that a member of the writing team had been replaced by an artificial‑intelligence tool. 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, only to be “replaced by ChatGPT halfway through development.” In response, Karch issued a sharply worded rebuttal, stating, “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, “Everything I said was true.
Here’s more truth: that statement is remarkably pathetic for the CEO of any company to be making.” The exchange quickly attracted media attention, and GamesIndustry.biz approached Willits at Gamescom for comment. Willits dismissed Karch’s remarks as mere sarcasm, saying, “That’s just Matt’s sarcasm, that’s all.” He then pivoted to the core issue, emphasizing that Saber Interactive has never actually swapped a human writer for an AI system. “That idea is absurd,” he told the press.
“We haven’t used generative AI to write the narrative for Space Marine, Hellraiser, Stuntman, or any of our other projects.” According to Willits, the studio is still in an exploratory phase regarding artificial‑intelligence technologies. “We’re experimenting because we don’t yet know where AI will prove most valuable in the industry, what players will appreciate, or which workflows it can genuinely improve,” he explained. He clarified that the only title currently featuring an AI‑related experiment is the yet‑unreleased Rideshare Simulator. In that game, Saber is testing an “AI mode” that generates certain optional content, but the primary campaign, characters, and dialogue remain the product of human writers.
Even the side‑mission scripts were crafted by people, not algorithms. The Steam store page for Rideshare Simulator provides a transparent breakdown of the AI involvement. It notes that the main campaign story, character arcs, and spoken dialogue were authored by a team of human writers, while AI tools were employed for voice synthesis and limited localization tasks. Additionally, the optional “Free Ride” mode offers AI‑generated passenger missions and localized dialogue, and the in‑game radio stations blend tracks created by human musicians with pieces produced by AI.
Willits stressed that Saber does not rely on generative AI for core production pipelines such as code development, environment design, or texture creation. Looking ahead, Willits speculated that the industry will eventually encounter a breakthrough use case for advanced AI that feels inevitable, much like past technological revolutions.
“One day a developer will devise a clever, brilliant integration of true modern AI that will make everyone say, ‘That’s it—this is how AI belongs in games,’” he said. Until that moment arrives, he likened AI to any emerging technology: initially met with skepticism and questions about practical application, then gradually woven into everyday workflows as its strengths become evident. Willits expressed optimism about the trajectory of AI in gaming.
He predicted that by next year’s Gamescom, larger titles will likely showcase more pronounced AI features, and he is eager to see how the experimental AI mode in Rideshare Simulator is received by players. “It’s an exciting experiment,” he remarked. “We want to understand how people react, how it integrates with the overall experience, and what lessons we can draw for future projects.” The full interview with Willits, conducted by GamesIndustry.biz, provides additional context and quotes surrounding the debate, the studio’s current stance on AI, and its vision for future experimentation. In summary, while Saber Interactive is cautiously testing AI‑driven content generation in limited capacities, the company maintains that all principal narrative elements across its portfolio continue to be authored by human talent, and no employee has been outright replaced by a machine.