Saber Interactive CEO Matt Karch has confirmed that a new game trailer for Rideshare Stimulator contains a deliberate jab at Gearbox CEO and co-founder Randy Pitchford, targeting an infamous 2018 USB drive incident as payback for an alleged critique of Embracer Group in Borderlands 4.
The License Plate Easter Egg and the 2018 USB Incident
When Saber Interactive initially unveiled the rideshare taxi project earlier in the summer, the game drew little immediate attention. That changed abruptly after viewers inspected the promotional video.
Around the 63-second mark of the trailer, an SUV appears with a Texas license plate bearing the letters USB
, a gear symbol, and DRV
. The reference ties directly back to a 2018 controversy where Pitchford reportedly left a USB drive behind at a Medieval Times restaurant.
The drive contained video material that Pitchford described as barely legal porn
starring a woman who was only 18
. The storage stick became part of a lawsuit filed against Gearbox by the studio’s former lawyer, which was ultimately settled in 2019. Despite the resolution of the legal battle, the digital memory stick incident has remained a persistent online talking point.
Corporate Fallout and the Embracer Group Connection
The feud stems from corporate history involving Embracer Group, which engaged in an aggressive studio acquisition spree that brought Saber Interactive into the fold in 2020 and Gearbox in 2021. When a massive financial deal collapsed in late 2023, Embracer began offloading assets, leading both gaming companies to find new arrangements.
Tensions escalated due to content discovered within Borderlands 4. Players exploring the title can locate a garbage-filled area named Embracer’s Bluff
, which Karch viewed as an intentional shot at the holding company.
Pitchford has previously been vocal about his dissatisfaction with Gearbox’s former parent company, going so far as to suggest that the oppressive planetary antagonist in Borderlands 4 drew inspiration from the studio’s time under Embracer. Karch, who served on Embracer’s board during that period, took the in-game joke personally.
The dig is because Randy took shots at Embracer in Borderlands 4. Without Embracer, Randy is performing magic tricks at birthday parties for a living. Matt Karch, CEO of Saber Interactive, via Kotaku
Reactions and Industry Fallout
While Karch has repeatedly defended Embracer’s investments against outside criticism, he remains unforgiving toward executives who question the holding company’s strategy after benefiting from its backing.
Matt Karch remarked that it was amazing to him how fast people forget those who went above and beyond for them regarding Pitchford’s public stance on their former parent corporation.
Representatives for Gearbox declined to comment when contacted by media outlets regarding the trailer references. Neither Take-Two—which took over Gearbox in 2024—nor Gearbox itself has officially confirmed whether the Borderlands 4 location was designed as a direct criticism of Embracer, leaving the public feud to play out through promotional easter eggs and interviews.
