Piper Pace

Tim Sweeney getting upset at Steam's AI disclosure is an endless stream of funny content. He claims it's bad for developers, but what he actually means is it's bad for Epic Games. Because Epic are literally building UE6 around generative AI, which they say will play a "central role" If generative AI is good, and developers are proud to use it, there shouldn't be an issue disclosing it. But the problem is gamers don't agree, and some actively avoid games using AI. This in turn will mean avoiding UE6 games using their fancy gen AI integrations, which hurts Epic's business model. It's another one of those things where companies are not on the same page as gamers. Gamers want engine developers to solve problems they are having (eg poor performance, traversal stutter, visual artefacts). They don't want those problems to remain unsolved while Epic makes it easier to fill storefronts with low quality AI-made games. Transparency is always good for consumers and shouldn't be sacrificed. Ever. Why hide the use of a feature if you think the feature is good? If it's a "hate mob" issue, maybe time to reassess the messaging. Prove that AI use is good, instead of hiding it. Because if it's actually good, it should be easy to explain and show why. The work speaks for itself with these things. If Epic are ever wondering why gamers love Steam and avoided the Epic Games Store for so long, it's because Valve continue to deliver what gamers want. Being hostile to gamers doesn't work.