Epic Games CEO criticizes Steam's AI disclosure policies as political

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has criticized Valve's policy regarding AI disclosures on Steam, describing the requirement as "a political act."

Criticisms of AI Disclosure

Sweeney has argued that Steam's mandatory disclosure policy exposes developers to backlash from detractors. In a response to a post on X regarding the policy, Sweeney stated, "forcing developers to write a political statement to be used against them by the hate mob they're helping organize is abhorrent."

Sweeney further claimed that these disclosures are used to "drive cancel campaigns against games and deprive them of revenue and livelihood unless they get onboard with the movement's political goals." He compared the requirement to forcing developers to list political affiliations or voting history, asking, "Should Valve force developers to list their political affiliation? Is that pro-consumer?"

Sweeney has expressed opposition to these labels since at least June, when he suggested that Valve's decision to use disclosure labels for projects using AI was "really irresponsible." He argued that such labels make it "much, much, much harder for a game developer to have a chance of success," noting that developers must choose between using productive tools or potentially failing due to competition.

Steam's AI Disclosure Policy

Valve has maintained its stance on AI disclosures, which it has implemented and updated since 2024. According to reports, the policy requires developers to inform players when they use generative AI for content generation, such as assets, music, mechanics, text, or marketing material. However, studios are no longer required to report to Valve the tools they use to assist with code.

Data regarding the prevalence of these disclosures includes:

• Nearly 1,700 titles out of more than 8,600 demos at Steam Next Fest carried the label.
• Generative AI use accounted for nearly 20 percent of those demos.

Despite these disclosures, some high-profile titles, such as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Arc Raiders, have appeared with these labels and have seen significant success.

Context of the Epic-Valve Rivalry

The tension between Epic Games and Valve is part of a long-standing industry rivalry. While Epic Games has sought to challenge Steam's market position, former Epic engineer Kiaran Ritchie has suggested that Steam's dominance is difficult to break. Ritchie stated that "even if an alternative were objectively better, by whatever metric you care about, it would still be of no interest to Steam users."

Ritchie also claimed that "Competition in this space is not only uninteresting to most Steam users, it's actively denigrated!" He argued that the current market structure results in "30% of all gross revenue is siphoned out of the PC games industry into a black hole."

Epic Games has recently attempted to compete by overhauling its storefront. While Epic claims its new version launches in 5.47 seconds—faster than Steam's 10-second boot time—some users have reported bugs and other issues with the storefront.

---

Sources

• ign.com: Former Epic Games Dev Criticizes Steam Users for Being 'All in on Steam'
• gamesindustry.biz: Epic Games CEO calls Steam's AI disclosure policies "a political act" | GamesIndustry.biz
• notebookcheck.net: Epic CEO Tim Sweeney lambasts “abhorrent” Steam AI Disclosure Policy claiming labels double as “political statement” - Notebookcheck News

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.