this post was submitted on 27 Jun 2026
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/49263187

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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[–] Teratologique@lemmy.blahaj.zone 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Indie games like Stardew Valley and Undertale don't need generative AI, skill issue much?

What next, it's "irresponsible" to mention the system requirements because people won't buy games that are too advanced for their device, which is depriving devs of sales?

Maybe being anti-consumer isn't the best strategy to bring those "consumer" things to your marketplace, Tim.

[–] ranzispa@mander.xyz 1 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Stardew Valley and Undertale

Games developed before generative AI was widely available and usable for software development.

TBF I believe indie games will benefit the most from generative AI. Letting a model have to worry about quaternions definitely makes things easier.

[–] luciferofastora@feddit.org 1 points 25 minutes ago

TBF I believe indie games will benefit the most from generative AI.

This is the one point where my opinions on GenAI split:

On one hand, art assets can be a lot of effort and time to create manually, which may hamstring games with interesting concepts and mechanics whose devs don't have the skills or time to wrap them into suitable aesthetics. Voice acting is also a difficult point that can fill a world with life (like background chatter in villages), but isn't always trivial for smaller teams or solo developers, particularly if they aren't good at voice acting themselves and don't have the money to pay someone up-front.

For those reasons, I think using GenAI to handle creative aspects is understandable if the devs themselves can't shoulder that burden.

On the other hand, I feel like there should be better solutions. This reasoning to justify GenAI might be leveraged to justify not hiring artists or VAs. Sure makes your studio look smaller, and also leaves a larger margin of profit. Who's gonna be able to tell whether you even looked for people to help you instead of just taking the shortcut?

I assume it comes down to economic and competitive pressures too. I'm sure there are plenty of artists or VAs that would lend their time and craft to an interesting game for the promise of a cut once the game releases, if they didn't have to worry about paying bills right now instead of an uncertain future income.

I find myself returning to the topic of Universal Basic Income, or at least shorter working times for equal income: Imagine how much art people could create if they had the leisure to, instead of maximising profits for some money addicts' "number go up" fix.

[–] Hxrmit@thelemmy.club 9 points 1 day ago

What really is irresponsible is using amalgamations of stolen work and presenting it as the future

[–] Soup@lemmy.world 46 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Super strong “If I told you who I really was you’d never have slept with me!” energy.

It’s called consent. If people wouldn’t want to engage with the content unless they were misled in some way then that amounts to manipulation and a violation of trust. Looks like Epic Games just told the whole world that they would lie to their customers if they felt like the truth would give them too much choice.

Fuck ‘em.

[–] jjlinux@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 day ago

He's got it all wrong. We don't want to kill the game, in my case, I just want to kill HIM.

[–] skozzii@lemmy.ca 32 points 1 day ago

Tim Sweeney with a garbage take, seems like a normal day.

Tim Swine-ny can you just stfu for once?

[–] Kissaki@feddit.org 30 points 1 day ago

Sugar labels on food didn't stop their sales 🤷

I don't see it. Disclosure is always a good thing.

Some people care, and they should have the option to choose. Not be misled, ignored, or lied to.

[–] winkledinkle@sh.itjust.works 20 points 1 day ago

If the game isn't made by people, I wish it a very merry get fucked and die.

[–] cley_faye@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

"Oh no, informing people allows them to decide for themselves, we can't have that! I, sweeney whiney, must protect the world from informed decisions!"

  • Tim Sweeney, wearing is burger king cardboard crown screaming in front of his mirror alone.
[–] echodot@feddit.uk 23 points 1 day ago (2 children)

So they can't not use AI because they'll lose out to studios that do (not sure about that one but whatever) but if they do use AI no one will buy the game.

Pick one

[–] Professorozone@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago

It's kind of the MAGA mentality.

Okay but we gotta use it. If we don't use it we're not cool.

[–] Toga77@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago

It's really irresponsible for Tim Sweeney to be a such a fucking moron but he hasn't stopped that yet.

[–] muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 day ago

Stfu sweeney

[–] Kirp123@lemmy.world 255 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Fuck you Tim Sweeney. Valve is right for putting that info up so people can make informed purchases.

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[–] renegadespork@lemmy.jelliefrontier.net 212 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Transparency so customers can make informed decisions is “irresponsible”? What a garbage take.

If using AI is a “scarlet letter” that makes people hate your game then don’t use it?! The willful ignorance to customer preference is staggering.

[–] TheGoldenV@lemmy.world 97 points 2 days ago (3 children)

The same people unironically: let the free market decide

[–] OwOarchist@pawb.social 35 points 2 days ago (1 children)

let the free market decide

But only if the 'free' market chooses me, otherwise, it's wrong and everything should be changed!

[–] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 day ago

Let the ~~free~~ captured market decide.

[–] rockerface@lemmy.cafe 16 points 2 days ago

"No, not like that!"

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[–] cyclonedusk@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

That dickhead wouldn't understand responsibility if it tattooed a scarlet R onto his chest.

[–] cecinestpasunecommunication@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

He wouldnt understand responsibility if it fucked him in every orifice for like nine hours straight and read him to sleep while cuddling after.

Or choked him with his own intestines or whatever thing I'm sure wed all rather imagine happening to him that might not necessarily aid understanding in an easily legible way.

[–] Telorand@reddthat.com 124 points 2 days ago

And this, Tim, is why I spend most of my money at Steam.

This may shock you, but proudly parading that you want to fuck over consumers at every opportunity is not good incentive.

[–] ModernRisk@lemmy.dbzer0.com 52 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The more I read about Epic Games and their CEO Tim Sweeney, the more I dislike the company and the guy.

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[–] Etterra@discuss.online 29 points 2 days ago

Nobody loves you Epic Games, fuck off.

[–] gedfromgont@piefed.ca 79 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Also Sweeney "why do people like Steam more than the Epic store?"

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[–] geekwithsoul@piefed.social 56 points 2 days ago (3 children)

The best thing about Tim Sweeney is that he consistently has the most wrong take on any issue. He's like the Lou Gehrig of being an idiot.

[–] Escape13@slrpnk.net 25 points 2 days ago

I have yet to read a headline where is not being dull doorknob licker

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[–] shittydwarf@piefed.ca 43 points 2 days ago
[–] Kazel@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 2 days ago

It is irresponsible to post such shit from the sweeney son of a bitch

[–] Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago
[–] binux@sh.itjust.works 42 points 2 days ago

Bitch-boy CEO whining about rival company that epitomizes everything he doesn’t have at every chance he gets, very typical behaviour just carry on

[–] tabular@lemmy.world 51 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (5 children)

"We must do X at any cost to the user because others will do it and get the money"

This mentality has driven the games industry to become psychologically manipulative, subscription battleass and absolutely proprietary.

Maybe the irresponsibility is in ourselves for giving those game companies money.

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[–] ada@lemmy.blahaj.zone 25 points 2 days ago

Interesting that he frames LLMs as both a tool that he needs to use to compete, whilst also framing their use as a scarlet letter that will tank sales if he uses them.

[–] guynamedzero@piefed.zeromedia.vip 22 points 2 days ago (1 children)

What kind of looney tunes universe does this motherfucker think he lives in

[–] Twig@sopuli.xyz 4 points 1 day ago

The one with Trump as president

[–] MirrorGiraffe@piefed.social 16 points 2 days ago

I'm making a game and I just ai for parts of the code and and for assets currently. I make it because I'm 43 and been programming my entire life and yet never took the time to make a game.

If I ever were to release it on any store, I'd replace the assets with human made and declare that I've had LLM assistance in coding, no matter if there's a role about it or not.

Basically I know it's important to some people and I don't want them to accidentally spend money on something they hate. It would be like sneaking meat into a vegetarian dish.

[–] flamingos@feddit.uk 18 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I wonder why the man who makes money off engine royalties might have a problem with something that can dramatically affect sales after stuffing that engine with the crap people hate.

[–] lemmyng@lemmy.world 32 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Tim Sweeney, the pedophile (protector) who insists that pedophiles aren't using Roblox to commit pedophilic crimes by preying on minors? That Tim Sweeney?

[–] db2@lemmy.world 22 points 2 days ago (2 children)

He also says that stopping ai generated csam is "gatekeeping".

Whenever I say this his apologists magically appear.

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[–] FireWire400@lemmy.world 14 points 2 days ago

Man, Sweeney's been on a roll lately, hasn't he? Too bad I've got no idea what he's talking about most of the time

[–] melsaskca@lemmy.ca 8 points 2 days ago (2 children)

If I am buying an "AI" game I'll pay a couple of bucks and no more as there are no labour costs involved. If I'm buying from a company that supports human beings, I'll pay about 50-100 bucks, depending on the game.

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[–] spaceracoon@lemmy.zip 16 points 2 days ago

All of this together is why there is so much media attack on Steam. Just think of the amount of fuckery we would be subjected to, if Steam was out of the equation.

[–] tabular@lemmy.world 27 points 2 days ago (3 children)

"Think of the game-devs needing to make money" says a fat cat talking about a tool forged from game-dev's labour without compensation and disregarding any social contracts (i.e. copyleft software licenses).

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