Space Marine 2 Studio Saber Interactive Denies Writer Was Replaced by AI, But Confirms New Taxi Game Uses ChatGPT 'Out of Necessity'

Saber Interactive, the developer behind Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, has refuted claims that it swapped a human writer for ChatGPT, yet acknowledged that its upcoming taxi sim, Rideshare Stimulator, relies on AI 'by necessity.'

The game made headlines this week when its reveal trailer took jabs at Randy Pitchford, head of Borderlands studio Gearbox. Saber's CEO, Matt Karch, confirmed the digs, making it clear he's no fan of Pitchford.

But the attention also drew criticism from Stella Sacco, a former writer on Rideshare Stimulator, who alleged she was 'replaced' by ChatGPT while working on the project at Unigine. In a social media post, Sacco wrote, 'I didn't even see this had been announced. I was lead writer on this one! And Saber replaced me with ChatGPT midway through development. All the passenger voices were AI too. Either they changed direction at some point or they're not disclosing it on Steam.' She later shared a December 2023 Facebook post where she had stated, 'I got replaced on one of my games at work. With ChatGPT.'

Saber Interactive has denied the claim, though it admitted that Rideshare Stimulator does use AI for passengers in its free-ride mode, which features an 'infinite' number of characters. The publisher insisted no writers were replaced and that the game's story was written by humans. In a statement to PC Gamer, Saber said, 'Neither Saber nor Unigine have replaced any writers with AI for Rideshare or any other game. In fact, Saber's staff of writers has tripled since 2023. Rideshare's story was written entirely by real people. The game will also feature an experimental, free-ride mode that by necessity incorporates AI as the number of passengers in the game is infinite. We are firm believers in using AI tools to improve or enhance gameplay experiences and improve NPC behaviour as we have done since Saber was founded in 2001. As the industry has continued to contract, Saber continues to hire. None of our 3,000+ employees have to worry about being replaced by AI.'

Sacco, however, fired back, blaming Karch directly for taking her off the project to use ChatGPT for the remaining text, including planned live updates. She told PC Gamer, 'If they changed plans in the intervening years, that's great, but again: I was there, and it was my job to write the game, and then it wasn't once Matt Karch decided using ChatGPT would be great publicity for the game.' IGN has reached out to Karch for comment.

Rideshare Stimulator hasn't launched yet, and its Steam page currently lacks any AI disclosure, which is required by Valve's platform rules. The game's Steam forum is already flooded with complaints, with many demanding transparency. One user commented, 'I don't see AI signified on the Steam page. Don't lie to your customers.' Another added, 'Putting both the studio and publisher on my ignore list. It's one thing to make a game out of stolen work. It's another to not even have the decency to tell people. I'll spend my money elsewhere.'

A third user expressed broader concerns: 'Regardless of what truths lie in the story, I as a consumer and enjoyer of video games do not want, nor do I accept products that utilise generative AI slop. I want my video games to be made by humans, to support the industry of artists and talented people, not to perpetuate the human culture theft machine, not to perpetuate the ever rising costs of gaming hardware, not to perpetuate the swathes of environmental damage caused by the AI bubble. Saber, as a publisher, you have received a good amount of money from me for Mudrunner, Snowrunner, Expeditions and Roadcraft, but while you continue down this path you will receive no more.'

We'll keep you posted if we hear more from Saber or Valve on the matter.