Atheist Forum

Epic Games CEO complains about Steam's mandatory AI disclosure policy

The way Tim Sweeney frames mandatory AI disclosure is that developers who make games without the tools are doomed to fail against those who do, and that requiring the disclosure serves as a scarlet letter, potentially dooming games developed with AI to fail. The problem with this premise is that by its own logic, you must develop games with AI to win, but if you do, you're doomed to fail on Steam. Not only are these ideas mutually-exclusive, but that's not how things are playing out in the real world.

I'm genuinely curious as to why he thinks that games developed with AI are better than those that don't (is there any data to support this?) yet simultaneously thinks that consumers wouldn't buy the game if they knew the truth (why would they object to a better game?)

Tim Sweeney knows he's full of shit. If AI "tools" are so innovative that those who don't use them will be left behind, then what is he afraid of? No. His intention for using (and hiding) AI use is the same reason he wants to turn Fortnite into Roblox.

Yeah, I hate it when they go the easy route because even though human artists are expensive, what they produce simply cannot be replicated. Sins of a Solar Empire 2 cheaped out and used AI art on the research icons (a LOT of time is spent on the research screen in that game), which pissed off gamers to the point that they relented and hired actual artists to redo it. Wasted money and needlessly hurt their reputation with AI. They could've just done the right thing the first time and everything would've been fine, instead they're having to redo it like the Sonic movie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dj7EWflgys

Another day, another boneheaded move from Sony.

Blackleaf wrote: Wed Jul 01, 2026 4:56 pm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dj7EWflgys

Another day, another boneheaded move from Sony.

I'm kinda torn on physical media VS digital media. Floppy disks and CDs only existed because that was the only practical way at the time to get information from point A to point B. And that had its own problems. They could and often did wear out.

Now that everyone and their mom has a broadband internet connection, it's so much easier and cheaper to just download what you need when you need it. The problem is that links don't stay up forever and when that game or movie is pulled from the store or the internet as a whole...it's not great. I do worry about what happens when we ditch physical media altogether and have no backup plan when something terrible happens or someone terrible happens.

Anyone who has media they truly enjoy needs to be on the lookout for disaster and sternly fathom a contingency plan in order to come about after hardship.

A Hypothetical Treachery: Bethesda, id Software reportedly hit hard by Microsoft layoffs

One of those laid off was Christiane Meister, who was a major pillar of TES, responsible for player/creature art from Morrowind to present, including Argonians/Khajiit in Morrowind.

This does not bode well for future installments of TES. I expect Skywind to release first, and in a much better state.

Yeah, some layoffs were probably necessary, but they're trying to pass this off as removing unnecessary levels of management. You don't touch the talent if you're just trying to make things more efficient. In more positive news, though, it seems like Obsidian has been reassigned to work on a new Fallout game, so people won't have to wait another 20 years for a sequel.

Blackleaf wrote: Wed Jul 08, 2026 10:54 pmit seems like Obsidian has been reassigned to work on a new Fallout game, so people won't have to wait another 20 years for a sequel.

What I wouldn't give for Fallout: New Carolina.

Varied environments: mountains, forests, plains, wetlands, beach/outer banks. A couple big cities, a military base, scenic lighthouses, etc.
Potential gang/tribal names: Tarheels, Dukes, Wolfpack, Pirates (literal pirates, as well), etc.
Mutated fauna: black bears, feral pigs, coyotes, deer, alligators, turkey/black vultures, hellbender (a river salamander), eastern copperhead snakes, wild horses at the outer banks, etc.
Along with SC, the only place in the world where venus fly traps are native, so they could do something similar to the venus fly traps in New Vegas but waaaay more mutated and terrifying.

We even have stuff very well-suited for Fallout:
A real-life Broken Arrow - a nuclear bomb accidentally dropped on US soil, which was simply left there after a failed attempt to move it
Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant (fun fact: uses a generator donated from Three Mile Island)
the Big Hole (massive underground bunker used by the military, just screams VaultTec or possibly Brotherhood of Steel)

edit - NC canonically has 2 vault-tec vaults

New game called Dear Passengers (Ukrainian developers, btw)



Basically, it's a Delta Airlines simulator.

The main reason people are more excited for a new Obsidian Fallout game than for the remasters or a new Bethesda Fallout: Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 learned nothing from New Vegas.