Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has reiterated his strong opposition to Valve's policy requiring developers to disclose the use of AI in game content, labeling it a "political act" and drawing parallels to forcing developers to reveal their personal political affiliations.
Sweeney, a vocal critic of Valve and its Steam platform, has recently pivoted Epic Games towards embracing AI, stating the company is undergoing "maximum AI acceleration." His criticism targets Steam's requirement for developers to disclose AI-generated content, such as artwork, sound, and narrative, which is consumed by players. The policy excludes AI used for "efficiency gains."
Earlier, Sweeney had argued that Steam's policy was "abhorrent" and that it would be used against developers by a "hate mob." This statement drew backlash, with many, including developers, questioning the assertion that an AI disclosure is inherently political. David Goldfarb, founder of Metal Hellsinger developer The Outsiders, countered that customers have a right to know what they are purchasing and that AI use should not be equated to a political stance.
Undeterred, Sweeney doubled down, comparing Steam's AI disclosure policy to Valve forcing developers to list their voting history. He suggested that if a significant portion of gamers disliked members of a particular political party, Valve should not be allowed to force developers to disclose their affiliations, framing such a policy as potentially harmful to the gaming ecosystem.
Sweeney further claimed that Valve's policy incurs "real economic cost" by "undermining their business with these AI hate campaigns." He asserted that a substantial number of users would welcome mandatory political opinion disclosures for developers, suggesting that some users actively seek out such information to influence their purchasing decisions. According to Sweeney, the primary use of both AI and political disclosures is to incite "cancel campaigns" against games and artists unless they align with the prevailing "movement's political goals," arguing that blocking the adoption of AI technology is, therefore, a political action.
This ongoing criticism from Sweeney comes as Epic Games recently unveiled a revamped Epic Games Launcher, developed using generative AI. The company has also been promoting AI-assisted development, evidenced by its Unreal Engine "vibe coding" contest.
Meanwhile, Steam has continued to achieve record-breaking concurrent user numbers, with over 43.5 million users logged in simultaneously in October. Valve has maintained its characteristic silence throughout this public debate initiated by Sweeney.