Saber denies using AI to replace game writers. The former chief writer responded on the spot: You can’t have both sides. Game developer Saber Interactive is involved in controversy over the writer’s signature issue of the new game “Rideshare Stimulator”

Saber denied using AI to replace game writers, and the former chief writer responded on the spot: You can’t have both sides. Game developer Saber Interactive has been involved in controversy over the authorship of its new game "Rideshare Stimulator". The game announced last month was developed by its Unigine studio. Former chief screenwriter Stella Sacco publicly accused on social media: "I was the chief screenwriter of this game, but Saber replaced me with ChatGPT mid-development, and all passenger voiceovers were also generated by AI." She also questioned whether the official changed direction midway, or deliberately failed to disclose the fact that AI was involved in the creation on the Steam page. In the face of the accusation, Saber CEO Matthew Karch categorically denied it, saying that "neither Saber nor Unigine replaced any screenwriters with AI" and stated that the game story was "entirely written by real people." He also admitted that the game will include an experimental free ride mode, which will "inevitably" incorporate AI technology since the number of passengers is unlimited. Karch emphasized that the company has been using AI tools to enhance gaming experiences and improve NPC behavior since its founding in 2001, adding that none of the company's more than 3,000 employees need to worry about being replaced by AI amid continued industry contraction. There is zero disclosure on the Steam page, but traces of AI are visible to the naked eye. The core of the controversy lies in the issue of information disclosure. Judging from the game trailer, the lines and voices of the simulated passengers clearly have traces of AI generation, but the Steam store page of "Rideshare Stimulator" currently does not have any statement about the use of generative AI. At a time when players' acceptance of AI-generated content is polarized, whether to proactively disclose AI's involvement in creation has become an unavoidable integrity test for developers. Concealing it is often more likely to cause public outrage than the use itself. Sacco's response to the CEO's statement hit the nail on the head: "Putting aside my anger at being called a liar, you can't say 'the story was written by a writer' and 'the text was written by a computer' at the same time. The two things cannot be true at the same time." She pointed out that if the real-person screenwriter was replaced mid-development, the official would either change the direction later or deliberately avoid disclosure. The answer to this insistent war of words may ultimately depend on the patch notes on the Steam page or more detailed development records. What players are more concerned about is: Which of the games bought with real money are human efforts and which are mass-produced by machines. v