Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch has apologised to writer Stella Sacco after publicly saying he'd have been "happy to replace her with AI" during a dispute over the use of generative AI in game development. Sacco, whose 20-year career includes work on games like Disco Elysium, said she received a long email from Karch in which he "apologised unreservedly for the awful way he spoke about me in the press."
The row began when Sacco criticised Saber's use of AI in its upcoming game Rideshare Stimulator. Karch responded in an interview by saying he'd have been "happy to replace her with AI" - a comment that sparked widespread backlash and led to the public exchange that followed.
Sacco shared the news on Bluesky and in a statement sent to Eurogamer, saying the apology came "to [her] great surprise" overnight. She confirmed the email was from Karch but said its full text "will stay between us; I'm not that kind of girl." According to Sacco, Karch said he regretted "escalating" the row and how people online had subsequently spoken about her.
Accepting the apology without being swayed
Sacco was careful to draw a line between accepting the apology and being moved by it. "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," she wrote.
She also pushed back on the suggestion - one she said Karch had helped fuel - that going public with the dispute means she "must love drama or be hard to work with." Bad treatment is common across the games industry, she said; she's simply more willing than most to call it out.
Sacco reiterated that she'd stood by her account from the start, and that Karch's apology doesn't change her stance on AI in games. "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."
Still, she said she was accepting the apology. "Apologies are simply in too short a supply these days to spurn one when it's offered," she wrote, adding: "God willing, this is the last statement I'll need to make about this."
Karch's own reflection
Karch also addressed the episode on LinkedIn, writing that he'd had "an insightful week reflecting on the unwritten rules and expectations placed on modern CEOs." He acknowledged that "public reactions are rarely symmetrical" and that "anything beyond a measured statement invites further drama and tags you as the aggressor."
He wrote that escalating disputes through media channels "rarely solves anything" and that "real resolution happens through direct, personal connection. If you cross a line, own it directly with the person involved." He also said he stands firm on technology and innovation, arguing that "emerging tech like AI will always provoke strong reactions" and that "hiding from them isn't an option."
The episode has become a case study in how AI-related disputes can spiral when executives respond publicly and dismissively to criticism. For writers, it's also a reminder of the power imbalance at play: a CEO's throwaway comment can become a defining moment in a freelancer's public reputation, regardless of the quality of their work.
The controversy sits at the intersection of two ongoing debates: whether generative AI tools can meaningfully replace human writers, and how leaders should respond when challenged on that question. For those tracking the broader conversation, the Generative AI and LLM space continues to raise questions about authorship, quality, and accountability that no apology fully resolves.
Why this matters for writers
This incident is a concrete example of what happens when a senior figure dismisses a writer's work in public - and what it takes to push back. Sacco's approach offers a template: state the facts, name the harm, accept a genuine apology without letting it rewrite the underlying disagreement. The AI for Writers debate isn't going away, and neither is the need for writers to defend their value when it's publicly questioned.
Your membership also unlocks:
