Saber CEO Matt Karch Says Rideshare AI Dispute Led to Death Threats After Chet Faliszek Video
The controversy surrounding Rideshare "Stimulator" has escalated again, with Saber Interactive CEO Matt Karch claiming that he received death threats and hateful messages following a critical video published by former Valve writer Chet Faliszek. The dispute follows an already contentious public exchange over the game's use of generative AI and allegations from former Saber lead writer Stella Sacco that she had been removed from the project and replaced by ChatGPT during development. Saber denies that any writer was replaced by AI.
"I received death threats and other hateful mail from many people as a result of that video."
— Quote by: Matt Karch
Karch made the allegation during an exchange with Faliszek on LinkedIn, arguing that criticism surrounding his handling of the situation had moved beyond professional discussion into personal attacks. No independent evidence confirming the alleged threats has been publicly presented, so the claim should be treated specifically as Karch's account of what followed the video. Faliszek, whose writing credits include Portal, Left 4 Dead, and the Half Life episodes, had published a roughly 26 minute video criticizing Karch's public response to Sacco and questioning how the Saber CEO handled criticism involving a former employee.
Faliszek's criticism also became personal. Reporting from PC Gamer confirms that the video repeatedly mocked Karch, included comments concerning his anatomy, and encouraged viewers who encountered him at an industry event to make fun of him. Karch subsequently described Faliszek as an "unsuccessful writer" and argued that criticism had crossed the line from industry commentary into personal harassment. Faliszek maintained that his criticism centered on what he considered Karch publicly attacking a former employee and potentially damaging her career.
The confrontation developed from allegations made by Sacco, who previously worked as a lead writer for Saber and said she was removed from Rideshare "Stimulator" after management decided to use ChatGPT for portions of the project. Saber has categorically denied replacing her or any other writer with AI and says its writing staff has actually tripled since 2023. The company maintains that the main campaign, including its story, characters, and dialogue, was created by human writers. Sacco continues to dispute Saber's characterization of what occurred during her time on the project.
What is no longer disputed is that Rideshare "Stimulator" uses generative AI. The game's updated Steam disclosure confirms AI tools are used for voice generation and some localization. Its optional Free Ride mode uses AI generated passenger missions and localized dialogue, while selected radio stations contain AI generated music and are labeled accordingly. Saber says the main campaign remains human written and Free Ride can be avoided completely by players who only want human authored narrative content.
Karch initially intensified the controversy through his own comments about Sacco, including saying that he would have been happy to replace her with AI in retrospect. He later privately apologized to her for the way he discussed her publicly. Sacco confirmed receiving the apology and accepted it, while making clear that the 2 remain divided over the use of generative AI in game development. She said Karch had apologized unreservedly for how he spoke about her in the press.
The situation appeared close to resolution before Karch publicly criticized Faliszek and the discussion expanded into another confrontation. Karch has since argued that disputes should be resolved directly rather than through escalating public statements, while simultaneously maintaining that Saber will continue exploring generative AI where the company believes it can meaningfully expand gameplay. Saber previously explained that the procedurally generated Free Ride system actually required additional writers and programmers to supervise its AI tools rather than functioning as a simple replacement for human development staff.
There are now 2 issues that need to remain separate. Saber is entitled to defend its account of how Rideshare "Stimulator" was developed, while Sacco is equally entitled to publicly dispute that account based on her experience working on the project. The updated Steam disclosure at least provides players with substantially clearer information about where generative AI is actually being used.
Personal harassment is another matter entirely. Criticizing a CEO's statements, management decisions, or AI strategy is legitimate industry discussion. Threatening someone or encouraging real world confrontation is not. At the same time, senior executives carry significant responsibility for how they communicate publicly, particularly when discussing former employees. Karch's apology to Sacco was an opportunity to deescalate the situation, but the subsequent exchange with Faliszek has extended a controversy that increasingly has less to do with the game itself and more to do with how everyone involved is communicating online.
Has the Rideshare "Stimulator" controversy changed how you view Saber's use of generative AI, or should the discussion focus primarily on whether the technology actually improves the final game?
