Epic CEO Tim Sweeney lambasts “abhorrent” Steam AI Disclosure Policy claiming labels double as “political statement”

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has been doubling down on Steam’s AI disclosure policy for months and has once again issued a statement in his ongoing fight with Valve over Steam’s AI stance.

In a recent post on X, Tim Sweeney called Steam’s mandatory AI disclosure policy abhorrent just days after Epic overhauled its storefront, only to reveal it had been “vibe-coded” to push AI use in the company’s own workflow.

A statement online critics can use against game developers?

In a reply to Matt Workman of generative media company Fal, who argued that AI disclosures make little sense in 2026, Tim Sweeney chimed in. He said on X that the AI disclosure label forces developers to write “a political statement to be used against them by the hate mob.”

While generative AI use prompts detractors to criticize developers, many studios say it also serves as a tool separate from creative ideation and content development.

Earlier, in an interview about Steam’s AI disclosure policy, Tim Sweeney said, “I think it’s really irresponsible of Valve,” and spoke of a “hater community trying to kill the game.” Meanwhile, Valve has maintained its stance, and its guidelines still require developers to inform players when they use AI for content generation.

Hit games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and ARC Raiders seem unaffected by said disclosures

This isn’t altogether new: Steam has asked studios and developers to reveal generative AI usage in their workflows as early as 2024. However, studios no longer need to report to Valve the tools they use to assist with code. Valve requires AI disclosures only when content is generated using generative AI, such as assets, music, mechanics, text, or marketing material.

AI disclosures have become the norm since, and nearly 1,700 titles out of more than 8,600 demos at Steam Next Fest carried the label, putting generative AI use at nearly 20 percent. Beyond this, generative AI disclosures have appeared on hit titles like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Arc Raiders, which still enjoyed monumental success.

Epic also released its vibe-coded storefront, which claims to launch in 5.47 seconds, faster than Steam’s 10-second boot time. However, many Epic Games Store users have reported bugs and other issues that Epic has yet to address.

As for Steam, the storefront takes an MMO-like approach to engage users but has yet to respond to Tim Sweeney’s repeated criticism on a variety of topics, including, more recently, the Steam Deck's price increase.

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Rahim Amir Noorali - Tech Writer - 1176 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2025

I am a UAE-based tech writer who likes to build and benchmark PCs both professionally and as a hobby. I contribute to multiple tech publications, including TechRadar and Notebookcheck, as well as Game Rant, where I focus primarily on news, commerce, and buying guides. When I'm not scouring the internet for the latest in tech stories, you will find me playing a game of Civilization or DotA with friends and frenemies alike while dropping recommendations for Apple TV+'s Foundation to everyone I come across.