'Rideshare Stimulator' Developers Disclose AI Use Steam After Days Of Controversy

Aug 15, 2026 - 19:12

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'Rideshare Stimulator' Developers Disclose AI Use Steam After Days Of Controversy

Published Aug 15, 2026, 10:49 AM EDT

Saber Interactive confirms on Rideshare Stimulator's Steam page that it used generative AI during development

A driver gets his car repaired in Rideshare Stimulator

Saber Interactive finally added a detailed AI disclosure message to the Steam page for Rideshare Stimulator. This follows a week of controversy over its use in the game after a former employee claimed that she was laid off and replaced by AI.

When Rideshare Stimulator was announced in July, Saber Interactive did not mention that generative AI was used during development. On Aug. 11, game developer Stella Sacco took to Bluesky and said that "Saber replaced me with ChatGPT midway through development."

In response, Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch provided a scathing comment to This Week In Video Games, insulting Sacco and writing that he would have "in retrospect have been happy to replace her with AI." He also confirmed that AI had been used during development, but that Saber was waiting for a "finalized feature set" before adding a disclosure on Steam.

Saber Interactive representatives gave a more measured statement to Game File, denying that writers had been replaced by generative AI but confirming that the technology was used in the game. By Aug. 14, the game's Steam page had been updated with a lengthy AI-generated content disclosure.

"The main Campaign story, characters, and dialogue are written by a team of human writers. AI tools are used for voice generation and some localization," the Steam page now explains. "The optional Free Ride mode includes AI-generated passenger missions and localized dialogue. Free Ride mode is separate from the main Campaign and can be skipped by players who prefer to experience only human-written narrative content. The game also includes a mix of radio stations featuring human-made music and AI-generated music. Stations containing AI-generated music are clearly labeled as such in the game."

Additionally, Sacco revealed on Bluesky that Saber had finally revoked her access to a development build of Rideshare Stimulator on Steam. Saber seems to have removed her access in response to this recent controversy, as Sacco was laid off years ago.

The Rideshare Stimulator AI saga is finally over, but it serves as a reminder that not all game developers will immediately disclose their use of generative AI in development to players. Hopefully, the hubbub surrounding this will show studio executives why they shouldn't replace workers with AI and why they should be more forthcoming about its use during development from the start.