Tim Sweeney says Steam holds back gaming through walled garden

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney is once again criticizing Valve, arguing that Steamworks holds back the gaming industry. Sweeney says Valve traps PC games inside a social walled garden that prevents direct communication with players on iOS, Android, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and rival PC stores.

Image: eTeknix

The discussion started on X when former Epic lead animation programmer Kiaran Ritchie criticized Steam for taking a 30 percent cut of gross revenue. Ritchie claimed an artificial intelligence alternative to the platform could be built in one week.

Community notes on X pushed back against Sweeney's platform claims. Steamworks documentation states that Steam Datagram Relay functions on other stores and platforms as long as the game is also sold on Steam, though the technology focuses on network connections rather than universal friend chat. Sweeney has also previously criticized Steam policies requiring developers to disclose generative artificial intelligence usage.