Epic Games Boss calls Steam’s AI disclosure policy ‘political act’

Epic Games chief Tim Sweeney criticises Valve’s AI disclosure rules, arguing they could harm developers’ businesses

Epic Games chief executive Tim Sweeney has renewed his criticism of Valve’s policy requiring developers to disclose certain uses of artificial intelligence in games sold through Steam, describing the measure as a “political act”.

Steam’s policy requires developers to identify AI-generated content included in their games, such as artwork, audio, narrative material and localisation. It excludes the use of AI tools for efficiency gains that do not produce content consumed by players.

Sweeney criticised the policy on social media, arguing that disclosures could expose developers to online backlash. “forcing developers to write a political statement to be used against them by the hate mob they’re helping organize is abhorrent,” he wrote.

His comments drew criticism from developers, including David Goldfarb, founder of The Outsiders and a former Battlefield developer.

Goldfarb argued that customers had a right to know what they were purchasing and noted that games could still sell successfully despite using AI.

Sweeney continued to compare the disclosure requirement with policies compelling developers to reveal their political affiliations.

He argued that both types of disclosures could encourage campaigns against games and affect developers’ earnings.

“The primary use of both categories of disclosures is to drive cancel campaigns against games and deprive them of revenue and livelihood unless they get onboard with the movement’s political goals,” Sweeney said. “Yes, blocking free choice to adopt productive technology is a political act.”

The dispute comes as Epic expands its own use of generative AI. Earlier this month, the company unveiled a redesigned Epic Games Launcher, saying it had used AI-assisted development to improve the application’s speed and responsiveness.

“Programming is hard,” Epic wrote in a blog post. “So, instead of doing that, we vibe coded a new Epic Games Launcher that’s way faster and more responsive than the current one, and has a new look.”

Meanwhile, Valve has not publicly responded to Sweeney’s latest comments. Steam recently reached a record 43.5 million concurrent users, underscoring its position in the PC gaming market, where the Epic Games Store remains a competitor.