Tim Sweeney claims it’s a “Scarlet Letter” which makes players “try to kill the game”

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has criticised rival Valve for forcing studios to disclose when they use AI in game development.

Epic recently showed how it was integrating AI into Unreal Engine 6.

Time Sweeney said:

“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. You have to choose from either not using tools that can make you way more productive, and probably failing due to competition that does.”

Which is totally ignoring the factor that the user should know about the purchase it makes and be able to decide for themselves. Transparency for the player is not a bad thing.

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[–] 146 points 2 months ago (4 children)

So, if a dev uses AI, they fail because of haters, but they also win because they're more productive than devs that don't?

Being strong and weak at the same time is always a fun rhetoric.

Also, afaik, Valve only asks for disclosure of generative AI for asset generation, not productivity tools like coding assistance.

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  • [–] 45 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    not productivity tools like coding assistance

    Given how Microsoft has really jammed AI code-assist down the throats of developers whether they want it or not, it would be kinda crazy if they did. The "contains AI" tag would be on virtually everything that touches Visual Studio, hollowing out its value as an indicator.

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    [–] 106 points 2 months ago

    Very “if we stopped testing for COVID there would be no cases” energy.

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  • [–] 76 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    Sweeney's not a fan of informed purchase practices. Good to know, Tim, I'll make sure to not float any cash your way.

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    [–] 55 points 2 months ago

    I don't get it, if AI is so great and the future, wouldn't you be happy to disclose your use of it in your product?

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  • [–] 54 points 2 months ago

    Transparency sucks
    -- Every snakeoil salesman ever

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  • [–] 52 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    Usually it's more responsible to disclose things.

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  • [–] 51 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    can we have two weeks without a shit take from Tim Sweeney ?

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    [–] 45 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    Weird way to admit they're using AI, but OK.

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  • [–] 43 points 2 months ago

    Timmy is just mad because his new game engine pressures devs to fill their games with AI slop, and Steam will force their developers to disclose it.

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  • [–] 40 points 2 months ago (5 children)

    Hmm... Do I side with Epic, famous for:

    1. Apple app store lawsuit because they didn't get enough of the profit
    2. Google play lawsuit, ditto.
    3. Paying publishers to release games exclusively on Epic Games Store, pushing up prices to gamers.
    4. Many allegations by former allegations about toxic work culture, very long working hours, especially "crunch" times leading to burnout and mental health issues.
    5. Aggressive loot boxing and monetization of games specifically targetting children.
    6. Having to settle a lawsuit with the FTC for $275m to escape prosecution for breaching children's privacy laws and forced to issue a further $245m in refunds to customers who were victims of "dark patterns" employed by Epic.

    Or with Steam?

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  • [–] 22 points 2 months ago (3 children)

    arent lootboxes a problem with valve too?

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    [–] 34 points 2 months ago

    Tim Sweeney claims it’s a “Scarlet Letter” which makes players “try to kill the game”

    Yes, and?

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  • [–] 30 points 2 months ago

    I bet sketchy food producers also balked at the idea of ingredient lists when they were first rolled out. If you're offering something to others and think they might not like something you used in it, maybe it's better to avoid the thing rather than complain that you're being forced to tell people about it.

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  • [–] 28 points 2 months ago

    "we should be able to lie and sneak ai in. If they found out they wouldnt want it, and the people paying for it shouldnt have any say in the matter"

    Utterly deranged take, as expected from him

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  • [–] 27 points 2 months ago

    I want to play quality games crafted by hand with love and intention and an artistic vision that the author brings to life.

    Anybody who tries to argue that their product won't sell if the consumer is well informed doesn't make a quality product worth buying anyway.

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  • [–] 25 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 child)

    Tim Sweeney claims it’s a “Scarlet Letter” which makes players “try to kill the game”

    That's because we don't want slop in our media, and we have a right to not want it.

    What this shithead is saying is that customers should be lied to so they can't choose a product based on what they actually want.

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  • [–] 25 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    He thinks his game won't sell because it has the AI scarlet letter but if he doesn't use it, his competition would have an edge over him because they use AI.

    Does he realize how stupid he sounds since they would then have the scarlet letter of AI and his game wouldn't and would then sell better.

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    [–] 24 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    ah ok, what's next? should we stop steam from forcing games to have their publisher's name linked to a game? Having "EA" on your game is a bit like a Scarlet Letter. But that's not fair, having a big publisher can help you get it as widely publicized as possible!

    ah ok, what's next? should we stop steam from forcing games to have their bad reviews linked to a game? Having bad reviews on your game is a bit like a Scarlet Letter. But that's not fair, having a bad reviews makes it harder to get it as widely publicized as possible!

    ah ok, what's next? should we stop steam from forcing games to have their price linked to a game? Having high margin prices shown publicly on your game is a bit like a Scarlet Letter. But that's not fair, revealing the full price after the user has already made emotional commitments can help you get it as widely publicized as possible!

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  • [–] 16 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    honestly, if I show up at tacobell, and like instead of fake high sodium meat, they give me like horse gizzards mixed with grinded scorpian tail based salts and protein derived from dried skunk carcases, why the fuck would I have the right to know that less than 10% of it is actually beef?

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  • [–] 22 points 2 months ago

    Boo fuckin' hoo, Tim.

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  • [–] 20 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

    AI content is so loathed and despised that the influencers, film studios, software developers who have embraced it are simultaneously all desperate to downplay, lie and hide it.

    But definitely not a speculation bubble! Keep repeating to yourselves that demand for AI is real and that people really value all the nauseating disgusting chatbot generated "art" and "insight" that you're spewing upon humanity.

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  • [–] 20 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    It's wild that a CEO can just say this out loud without a mob of haters trying to kill their product.

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    [+] 19 points 2 months ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)
    [–] 17 points 2 months ago

    They see that AI badge lowers their profits so of course they are lobbying against such thing. Big corps are not your friends.

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  • [–] 17 points 2 months ago

    “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

    You don't have to, just don't use A.I. Easy.

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  • [–] 17 points 2 months ago

    If you’re proud of your use, it’s a non-issue, if you’re ashamed of it, why are you using it?

    Transparency is only ever an issue when concealment and deceit are core elements of the activity.

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  • [–] 16 points 2 months ago

    Tim should get in a small airplane

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  • [+] 16 points 2 months ago
    [–] 16 points 2 months ago

    Epic Games CEO can go fuck himself!

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  • [–] 15 points 2 months ago

    Complete lack of self-awareness making such a statement.

    In order to be successful, games have to launch on our competitors platform!

    Moron.

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  • [–] 15 points 2 months ago*

    Epic games can shove it's corporate opinion up it's own corporate ass.

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  • [–] 14 points 2 months ago
    [–] 14 points 2 months ago* (1 child)

    With an attitude like this, you have to wonder how many EA development teams are simply going to lie when prompted.

    Not that they've released a game worth playing in a long time, but this makes me suspect the entire studio is drowning in AI slop.

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  • [–] 14 points 2 months ago

    Tim Sweeney continues to be a whiny jealous entitled bitch, more at 11.

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  • [–] 14 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    If what Steam does is such a problem for everyone involved, why doesn't Sweeny make a better product himself then?

    Oh, he has but it's worse?

    Whould've thought!

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    [–] 13 points 2 months ago*

    As a fan of AI, I want disclosure. Just as tech vegans get to avoid AI, I too would be able to actively seek out games that are doing neat things with it. Disclosure is good for everyone.

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  • [–] 13 points 2 months ago

    His last "point" doesn't make any sense.

    You have to choose from either not using tools that can make you way more productive, and probably failing due to competition that does.

    If "you've got to put it on Steam" and Steam tells you whether a game used AI or not, then everyone is on the same playing field.

    That means if you think your game will fail because everyone is boycotting AI games, you are free to not use AI... and you won't "probably fail due to competition that does," because their games are also on Steam!

    Hope I am explaining what that sounds like to me (a contradiction of his whole statement).

    Also he can go to hell. Gaming is being kept alive by Steam and It's always little timmy trying to tear it down with his shitty manipulations. Why doesn't he buck up his ideas and go make an actual competitor to Steam?

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