Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney had new harsh words for Steam, calling its forced AI disclosure “abhorrent” on social media yesterday. The label would help the so-called “hate mob” gang up against developers that use the controversial technology, according to him.
Sweeney’s comment came in response to an employee of a generative media company who said AI-generated content disclosures were “absurd” in 2026 and called them “truly embarrassing” for Valve and its storefront. This gained the approval of Epic Games’ boss.
“Forcing developers to write a political statement to be used against them by the hate mob they’re helping organize is abhorrent,” Sweeney wrote.
Read what’s behind the latest news in gaming (with a bit of snark) by subscribing to the Destructoid Checkpoint newsletter!
Sweeney has been one of gaming’s most vocal AI proponents. Earlier this month, Epic bragged about its “fully vibe-coded,” bare new storefront, with emphasis on the fact it was faster than Steam. The day before the announcement, however, Valve’s storefront received an overlooked patch that made it run about as fast as its competitor.
On Oct. 22, the CEO also advertised the 2026 Epic AI MegaJam, which includes some paltry prizes for the winners and might be as embarrassing as it sounds. The promo image features two hands offering a red pill and a blue pill, echoing The Matrix. Fittingly, the hand offering the pill that promotes AI has six fingers.
AI may be one of the most divisive technologies in gaming. It has a share of loyal defenders, and it’s probably just a coincidence they’re often doing the laying off rather than being laid off. This camp gives us gems like the hideous DLSS 5 or Epic’s new storefront.
Some companies might go to great lengths to hide their use of AI (I wonder why that is), but Steam’s disclosures warn potential customers about the use of that technology. Instead of wondering if that voice is a little too robotic or that art is too uncanny, they can know for sure before spending their money on something they might not support.
