Stella Sacco Accepts Matt Karch’s Apology After Rideshare “Stimulator” Dispute
Sacco accepted Karch's private apology, while the game's Steam page now details AI use in voices, dialogue, and music.
Stella Sacco, the former lead writer on Rideshare “Stimulator”, said Saber Interactive CEO Matt Karch privately apologized for the way he discussed her in the press. Sacco accepted the apology and said she hopes to move on from the dispute.
The disagreement began after Sacco said she was replaced by AI during development and that ChatGPT was used to write the remaining text, including planned live updates. She also said her direct boss pushed back against AI before Karch insisted on using it. Karch rejected that account, saying she was replaced by someone more talented rather than by AI. Saber also denied replacing Sacco—or any other writer—with AI while acknowledging that generative AI had been used in parts of the game. Karch later said that, in retrospect, he would have preferred to replace her with AI.
The public dispute centers on the upcoming simulator, whose announcement trailer introduced the project:
Sacco says the apology will remain private
Sacco said she received a long email from Karch and confirmed that it came from him. She will not publish the full message, but in a Bluesky post, she wrote that Karch had “apologized unreservedly” for the way he spoke about her publicly and regretted how the online reaction developed afterward. He also expressed a desire to make amends.
Although Sacco said she was not focused on slurs from random commenters, she objected to the public damage done to her reputation and two decades of work in games. Karch also questioned her abilities, accused her of dishonesty, and said she was terminated months later for multiple reasons. Sacco pushed back against claims that her history of criticizing former employers meant she was looking for drama or was difficult to work with.
Sacco said the apology did not change her position on AI. She and Karch still disagree about its use, and she argued that the responsibility for those decisions falls on Saber’s leadership while also affecting the company’s employees.
Steam page now details AI use
The updated Steam page identifies AI use in three parts of Rideshare “Stimulator”: Campaign mode uses AI voice generation, Free Ride includes AI-written dialogue, and the radio stations feature a mix of human-made music and AI-generated music.
Karch has not issued a public apology. In a separate LinkedIn post, he discussed “the unwritten rules and expectations placed on modern CEOs,” arguing that a chief executive cannot respond in kind when feeling wronged and that anything beyond a measured statement invites more drama and casts the CEO as the aggressor.
For now, Sacco said she accepts the apology and hopes it will be the last public statement she needs to make about the situation.
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Rideshare "Stimulator"
Developed by Unigine Holding
