Earlier this week, there was a brief controversy surrounding the video game Rideshare Stimulator going on. The game’s former writer, Stella Sacco, spoke out about being fired and replaced by AI.

Her comments led to a public statement from Matt Karch, CEO of Saber Interactive (the game’s publisher). Karch didn’t mince words, declaring that artificial intelligence is more competent than the writer and that she is dishonest.

Following this verbal escalation, Sacco spoke out again on Bluesky to announce that Karch had apologized to her in an email.

"Hey everyone.

Last night, to my great surprise, I received a long email from Saber Interactive CEO Matt Karch. He apologized unreservedly for the awful way he spoke about me in the press. The email’s full text will stay between us; I’m not that kind of girl. But I have confirmed it was from him.

Matt said he regretted escalating, and how people online were speaking about me. I’m not worried about being called slurs by random commenters—I’m a trans woman, that’s every day for me—but it stunk to have my skill and reputation built of 20 years in games publicly maligned by someone with institutional power.

One thing I saw people saying about me, and that Matt fueled the flames of too, was that this is not my first time calling a former employer out, so I must love drama or be hard to work with. The truth is, bad treatment is everywhere in games; I’m just more willing than others to call it out. And I call it out so maybe others will be willing, too, when it happens to them.

I’ve been firm from the beginning that I was telling the truth; I think we can all now agree that’s been borne out. Matt expressed a desire to make it right with me; at this time I don’t really know what that looks like for me, and I’ll have to take some time to sit with it, but I do at least accept his apology.

None of this changes my stance on AI. Matt and I obviously differ on this, and as a CEO the consequences of its use fall on him, and unfortunately also on his employees.

Apologies are simply in too short a supply these days to spurn one when it’s offered.

God willing, this is the last statement I’ll need to make about this."