Following the backlash to Rideshare Stimulator’s use of generative AI, developer Saber Interactive has reassured Warhammer 40,000 fans that the technology is not in Space Marine 3 in any way.
Fans of Space Marine 2 had expressed concern about the hotly-anticipated Space Marine 3 and AI when Saber confirmed generative AI had been used to develop Rideshare Stimulator, including speech and text in its Free Ride mode.
Amid the controversy, Saber CEO Matthew Karch became embroiled in a public back-and-forth with former Rideshare Stimulator writer Stella Sacco, who stated that she had been “replaced” by ChatGPT after her departure from the project in 2023 — a claim Karch denied.
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“My PR team is always terrified by even broaching the subject but I would be happy to engage in a reasonable conversation about how AI can and should help shape gamer experiences,” Karch told IGN at the time. “It’s not and has never been about efficiencies and team reductions. Rather it’s about how AI can improve the game experience.
The incident left the Steam forum for Rideshare Stimulator packed with complaints, with many calling for an AI disclosure on Valve’s platform. Steam policy requires developers to report visible and in-game AI, but not background tools. An AI message was eventually added.
The Rideshare Stimulator controversy spilled over into the Space Marine community, where fans of Space Marine and Space Marine 2 — the latter an enormous hit for both Warhammer 40,000 owner Games Workshop and Saber Interactive — let their feelings be known.
“Space Marine 3 is f***ed,” said redditor Curious-Research-559 while quoting Karch in a Space Marine subreddit thread upvoted 2,800 times.
“I used to say Games Workshop is too controlling of Saber and of the Space Marine games,” added PacoThePersian. “Maybe I was judging too hastily.”
“I really hope GW threatens him with a stick or something,” said TardyTech4428. “AFAIK they are very against using AI in 40k projects and I hope they keep it that way.”
That last line is indeed true. In January, Games Workshop banned the use of AI in its content production and design process, insisting that none of its senior managers were currently excited about the technology. Then, in July, Games Workshop reiterated its anti-AI stance, and revealed it had launched investigations into recent marketing gaffes that some suspected were AI, to ensure staff were playing by internal rules.
“As noted in our November 2025 half year report, we are not being complacent on the topic, we are carefully monitoring what others are saying and doing,” Games Workshop CEO Kevin Rountree said at the time.
“We are not using AI at Games Workshop in our product design nor on the creation of our IP, this will protect the integrity and ownership of our IP. We have made a few human errors on the depiction of our products in our product marketing in the year, they were investigated fully to ensure that AI had not been used and that all our staff are following our internal policies.”
So, during an interview with Saber development chief Tim Willits at gamescom, I wanted to find out what, exactly, was being done with generative AI at Saber, and came away with confirmation that it is not being used for Space Marine 3’s development at all. Indeed, Willits promised generative AI wouldn’t be found in any of Saber’s licensed titles, including Hellraiser: Revival, Stuntman: Hollywood, and Jurassic Park: Survival.
“There is absolutely no generative AI in Space Marine 3 or Hellraiser or Stuntman or Turok or Jurassic Park, or Wick,” Willits said. “But like we said, we’re going to experiment with it. Try it out in Rideshare, see if it works. See if people like it. If they don’t like it, we’re like, ‘All right.’
“It’s a rideshare simulator,” Willits continued, saying some of Saber’s games are appropriate for this sort of experimentation while others are not. “If you’re going to experiment, it’s a good one to experiment on. You know what I’m saying?”
When I pointed out Games Workshop’s anti-AI stance, Willits said Saber follows the lead of each license owner it works with, such as Lionsgate, Universal, and Paramount. But, on Space Marine 3 specifically, I wanted to make the AI situation extra clear. “We’re good,” Willits said.
So, no generative AI in Space Marine 3, which means no AI-generated dialogue, no AI-generated voices, and no AI-generated artwork. That will be good news for Warhammer 40,000’s very, very vocal fanbase, which keeps a close eye on official artwork in particular for any trace of AI use.
Still, Willits sounded, in general, interested in the potential of AI in development, which he believes has yet to be properly figured out. “If anyone tells you that they have it figured out, they don’t,” he insisted. “It’ll take a couple years and things will settle out and we’ll figure it out.”
“We’ve always been using AI in some stretch of the imagination, but we as in developers, we don’t really know what to do with it. Honestly, we don’t,” Willits said. “If anyone tells you they do, they don’t. And then players, they don’t really know what to do with it. So I do believe this is going to happen. Somebody — I don’t know who — somebody will come up with a game that is so freaking cool that it will change everyone’s opinion and it’ll be like, ‘Oh, that’s it.’ And then things will settle.
“And we’re still trying to figure it out. We don’t have any answers. We’re guessing, to be honest. But we’re doing some experimentation. We’ll see if it works out, doesn’t work out.”
There’s no release window for Space Marine 3, but it’s deep in development at Saber Interactive as we speak. Space Marine 2, meanwhile, is still going strong with a third year of DLC support set to kick off soon.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.