Epic Games CEO calls Steam AI Disclosure policy “irresponsible”

Unlike a majority of CEOs, Epic Games’ Tim Sweeney is rather vocal, sharing his thoughts on industry news via a variety of means. Taking part in a new interview, the CEO commented on Valve’s AI disclosure policy – calling the practice “irresponsible.”

Taking part in an interview with the publication PCGamer, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney was asked about a range of topics, from their recently-announced ‘Team Open’ to Epic’s relationship with Valve. In discussing Steam’s new AI disclosure system – wherein developers must state if and how they used GenAI during game development – Sweeney offered a response typical of a CEO heavily invested in the technology, stating:

“It's unfortunate that so many developers now are put into this position. If you want to launch a game, and get it as widely publicized as possible, you've got to put it on Steam so people can wish list it, and if you want to play it on Steam, then you have to get this Scarlet Letter of AI attached to your product, and now there is a hater community trying to kill the game.”

Sweeney continued, “I think it's really irresponsible of Valve. They shouldn't do it, because it makes it much, much, much harder for a game developer to have a chance of success. You have to choose from either not using tools that can make you way more productive, and probably failing due to competition that does.”

It is worth noting that Sweeney appears to be approaching this question from a single angle, ignoring the wider issues with and implications of GenAI in game development – as well as the fact that many players simply don’t like it.

As mentioned, Epic Games has been increasingly embracing AI in its game development, and so it makes sense that Sweeney would take such a position.

KitGuru says: What do you think of Sweeney’s claims? Do you agree? Should AI disclosures be enforced further? Let us know down below.

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