Epic Games CEO Mocks Steam’s AI Policy: “We Could Disclose Shampoo Brands”

The debate over artificial intelligence in gaming has heated up again. This time, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney is taking aim at his biggest rival, Valve. In a series of posts on X late this November, Sweeney criticised Steam’s mandatory AI disclosure policy. According to him, the requirement “makes no sense” in the current landscape.

Epic boss Tim Sweeney thinks stores like Steam should stop labelling games as being made with AI:

‘It makes no sense,’ he says, because ‘AI will be involved in nearly all future production’ pic.twitter.com/il9X6bCJgK

— Pirat_Nation 🔴 (@Pirat_Nation) November 27, 2025

The “Shampoo” Analogy by Epic Games CEO

Sweeney argues that AI adoption is becoming so common that special labels are losing their meaning. He notes that these labels make sense for art exhibits or licensing platforms where authorship is critical. However, he believes they are irrelevant for game storefronts.

Agreed. The AI tag is relevant to art exhibits for authorship disclosure, and to digital content licensing marketplaces where buyers need to understand the rights situation. It makes no sense for game stores, where AI will be involved in nearly all future production.

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) November 26, 2025

On November 27, Sweeney doubled down on his stance with a sarcastic analogy. After a user argued that customers deserve to know about AI usage, Sweeney replied:

We could have mandatory disclosures for what shampoo brand the developer uses.

He jokingly added that “customers deserve to know”, implying that mandated AI disclosures are becoming just as trivial as personal hygiene choices.

Why stop at AI use? We could have mandatory disclosures for what shampoo brand the developer uses. Customers deserve to know lol.

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) November 27, 2025

Data Backs the AI Boom, but Developers Push Back

Sweeney’s comments align with recent industry data. Reportedly, one in five Steam games released in 2025 disclosed AI use. While only 7% of all titles on the platform currently carry the label, the adoption rate is rising sharply.

Furthermore, the 2025 Stack Overflow survey shows that 84% of developers now rely on AI tools or plan to use them soon. Since Steam’s policy covers AI-generated code, Sweeney predicts the “Made with AI” label will soon apply to nearly every listing on the store.

Not everyone agrees with the Epic Games boss. Many gamers and creators still view AI generation as a sign of low effort. Thomas Bithell, the award-winning developer behind Thomas Was Alone, criticised Sweeney’s comments on “BlueSky”.

Bithell described the reliance on generative AI as using “slop machines”. He directly challenged Sweeney’s assumption that AI is essential for everyone, writing:

Imagine being so certain that you need slop machines to do your work, that you convince yourself that EVERYBODY must need them.

I just find this really sad. Imagine being so certain that you need slop machines to do your work, that you convince yourself that EVERYBODY must need them.

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— Mike Bithell (@mikebithell.bsky.social) 27 November 2025 at 14:06

Steam’s Current Stance

Valve introduced its AI policy in January 2024. The rules require developers to disclose if their game uses “pre-generated” content (bundled assets) or “live-generated” content (created in real-time). This update allowed Valve to release the vast majority of AI-assisted games after previously banning several titles.

However, as AI integrates deeper into coding and development, the utility of these broad labels remains a polarised topic.