Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney says Steam’s generative AI disclosure requirement could give critics material to target developers and damage their businesses. Valve says the disclosures help it understand AI-related risks and make it more open to releasing games that use the technology.
In an October 24 post on X, Sweeney called the requirement “abhorrent” and argued that Valve was forcing developers to write a political statement that could be used against them.
Forcing developers to write a political statement to be used against them by the hate mob they’re helping organize is abhorrent.
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) October 23, 2026
Later that day, he likened AI statements to mandatory political essays or demands for developers to list their voting history, arguing that such disclosures could fuel campaigns against developers. Sweeney also said the policy could harm developers’ revenue and livelihoods beyond Steam’s 30% cut. On October 25, he accused Valve of “burning down the businesses of good developers” and predicted that AI use in development would become widespread within a year.
Sweeney has opposed AI labels since at least November 2025, arguing that stores should remove them as AI becomes more common in production. In June 2026, he said the disclosures could make success harder for developers.
Valve says the disclosure approach followed a better understanding of AI-related risks and conversations with developers who use the tools and companies that build them. In its Steamworks explanation, Valve said the approach would make it more open to releasing games that use AI. It also said it would keep learning from Steam submissions and legal developments, and revisit the decision when needed.
Steam asks developers who use generative AI to explain how it appears in their games. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, for example, says its team uses AI tools to help develop some in-game assets. Valve’s developer guidance acknowledges concerns about exploitation and misuse while recognizing that developers may use AI ethically. It also invites feedback on the policy.
Epic has also promoted AI-assisted development. Earlier in October, the company said it used AI-assisted coding for its reworked PC launcher. On October 22, Epic announced an Unreal Engine game jam that initially required AI use and promised unlimited agentic support. It later changed the rules to let participants use as much or as little AI as they wanted.
Store release volumes offer context for the different scales involved. Epic reported 1,100 games released on the Epic Games Store in 2024, while SteamDB recorded 18,433 Steam releases that year. Those totals do not settle whether developers should have to disclose AI use, but they show the volume of releases Valve’s policy covers.
What should a storefront ask developers to disclose about AI use? For updates on Steam’s disclosure policy and Epic’s game-jam rules, follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
