Tim Sweeney calls Steam's AI disclosure requirement "really irresponsible of Valve"
Tim SweeneyFounder and chief executive of Epic Games, in an interview with PC Gamer
In a PC Gamer interview, Sweeney said developers who release on Steam must accept what he called a Scarlet Letter of AI that draws a hater community, and that the requirement is really irresponsible of Valve because it makes success much harder for developers.
Responding to
Steam's AI disclosure requirement makes it much harder for a game developer to have a chance of success.
“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. ... 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.”
Interview
Where this statement fits
Tim Sweeney criticizes Steam's AI disclosure labels for games
Valve requires developers who sell games on Steam to disclose AI-generated content, and Steam shows much of each disclosure on the game's store page so players can see how it uses AI. Epic Games chief executive Tim Sweeney says such labels make no sense for game stores and hurt developers' chances of success. Developers and artists who support the labels say players have a right to know.
Source and context
Interview
About this source
PC Gamer interview with Tim Sweeney published June 24, 2026, after Unreal Fest Chicago, covering Unreal Engine 6, AI in game development and his objections to Steam's AI disclosure requirement.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
PC Gamer interviewed Sweeney after Unreal Fest Chicago in June 2026. Just before this passage he said AI can give developers an affordable path to unique game content and that spending a million dollars to model a flower pot would be folly.
After the quotation
He added that developers must choose between not using tools that can make them more productive and probably failing against competitors that do. Earlier in the interview he said some early AI companies had poor practices and that the industry is moving toward licensed training data.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is Valve's requirement that developers disclose AI-generated content in games sold on Steam, with much of each disclosure shown to players on the store page. Sweeney calls the requirement "really irresponsible of Valve" and says it makes success much harder for developers, a direct rejection, so we labeled it Condemned. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional, because elsewhere in the interview he criticizes AI companies that took content without permission; it loses because his view of the disclosure requirement is unqualified.
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- People and groups discussed
- Valve Corporation
More from this case
Read the full caseTim Sweeney says Valve is taking opportunity from small developers, now over AI
“Not true. I just hate to see Valve confiscate ever more opportunity from small developers by facilitating new categories cancel campaigns and review bombing. Steam used to just facilitate downloads. Then they foreclosed on payments, then price competition, then crypto, now AI.”Read statement
Game artist Eric Bourdages says consumers should get information about AI use
“Hey Tim, here's a response where 7k people seem to all agree there should be some form of AI labelling, inside I have a conversation with the OP about the topic & the nuances at play. All that to say there should be information provided for consumers.”Read statement
Composer Joris de Man says gamers have a right to know about AI use
“I kindly remind you of game/tv trailers needing to put 'not real gameplay' as a disclaimer because gamers were getting tired of being misled with flashy CGI pieces. I should know, I worked on the trailer that started it all. AI should be the same - gamers have a right to know.”Read statement
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- Tim Sweeney calls Steam's AI disclosure requirement "really irresponsible of Valve"
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The Dispute Index. "Tim Sweeney calls Steam's AI disclosure requirement "really irresponsible of Valve"". First published: 2026-10-14. Last updated: 2026-10-14. https://disputeindex.com/events/5708-in-a-pc-gamer-interview-sweeney-said-developers