A brief moment in the trailer for Saber Interactive's upcoming game Rideshare 'Stimulator' shows a Texas license plate reading 'USB DRV' with a gear symbol, appearing around the 63-second mark. According to Saber CEO Matt Karch, this is not a coincidence but a deliberate reference to Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford.
The reference points to a story from 2018 in which Pitchford left a USB drive containing pornographic material at a Medieval Times restaurant. Pitchford has described copying the video, which he called 'barely legal porn' starring a woman who was 'only 18,' because he wanted to study the performer's technique as someone interested in magic. The drive was found and returned, but since Pitchford was traveling for work, other staff at Gearbox viewed its contents. The USB drive later became part of a lawsuit filed against Gearbox by the studio's former lawyer, which was settled in 2019. Gearbox is based in Texas, tying the license plate's state to the reference.
Karch told Game File the trailer detail is payback for what he sees as shots at Embracer, Saber and Gearbox's former parent company, in Borderlands 4. That game features a trash-filled location called 'Embracer's Bluff.' Karch said, '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.'
Embracer Group acquired Saber in 2020 and Gearbox in 2021, in a deal for Gearbox worth up to $1.3 billion depending on financial targets. In late 2023, amid Embracer's broader downsizing after a major deal collapsed, both studios were sold off. Embracer sold Saber for $247 million, and about a month later sold Gearbox to Take-Two for $460 million. At the time, Pitchford publicly endorsed the Gearbox sale, calling it the 'best possible scenario' for all parties involved.
In 2025, Pitchford said the story of Borderlands 4 was inspired by Gearbox's time under Embracer. Neither Gearbox nor Take-Two have confirmed that the game's 'Embracer's Bluff' location is meant as a reference to Embracer, and Gearbox declined to comment when contacted by Kotaku. Karch, who has continued to voice support for Embracer and its CEO Lars Wingefors since the sale of Saber, said he was not impressed by how quickly Gearbox and Pitchford turned on their former parent company, adding, 'It's amazing to me how fast people forget those who went above and beyond for them.'