Tim Sweeney tells free game asset creator Kenney his post against AI slop is bullshit, saying he has raised his expectations of AI
@KenneyNL This is bullshit, Kenney. I’m the same tech tree following optimist who moved from C to C++, from 2D to 3D, and from closed source to open source. I run a company. I write code. I contribute to published papers. I’ve upped my expectations of AI. Up yours!
Context
A public clash between Epic's chief executive and a well known independent creator shows how heated the fight over AI in game making has become.
This is a reply by Sweeney, chief executive of Epic Games, to Kenney, who makes free game assets. Kenney's post did not name anyone, so it is not clear whether it was aimed at Sweeney.
Deep dive
On October 18, Kenney, whose profile says he creates free game assets, posted: Don't let billionaires convince you slop is the future. He wrote that they're used to managing and directing, not making things themselves, so of course they can't see the difference, and that they don't understand game makers' love for the craft. He told developers to keep making personal, beautiful games, and added: You've got my support.
A few hours later, Tim Sweeney replied: This is bullshit, Kenney. He wrote that he is the same tech tree following optimist who moved from C to C++, from 2D to 3D and from closed source to open source. I run a company. I write code. I contribute to published papers. I've upped my expectations of AI. He ended: Up yours!
The night before, Sweeney had posted that about 70% of his time writing Unreal Engine 1 went to routine typing and refactoring that AI can now handle, and that AI is also solving hard technical problems. Epic's official Unreal Engine plugin for Claude Code also spread widely on X that week.
Sweeney's reply passed 1.9 million views.
What to expect next
Watch whether Kenney or other independent developers respond, and whether the exchange affects how developers view Epic's AI tools for Unreal Engine.
Also watch the broader argument over AI in games, including store labels for AI made content and how studios describe their use of it. Public fights between executives and creators are likely to continue as AI tools spread.