Epic Games has delayed its next collaboration with Disney – a shooter featuring characters from the Marvel and Star Wars franchises – and asked developers to move to an “AI first” production model.
According to Bloomberg, the game was planned for March, but no new release date has been confirmed.
People close to the project told the site that developers were asked to create the game with AI tools, including Anthropic’s Claude, and staff were overseeing the outcome.
In an internal message seen by Bloomberg, one of the game’s directors told staff: “No more hand-written code.” The director also said that all of the game’s graphics would be “generated with full AI workflows.”
In a statement to Bloomberg, Epic communications director Jake Jones said the company “embraces AI-accelerated development, led by Epic developers who are the visionaries and creative drivers behind everything we do.” Disney did not immediately respond to the outlet’s request for comment.
Developers were informed of the change during a video call last week, and some were “stunned” according to Bloomberg’s sources.
The same sources also said that development fell behind schedule, in part because Epic misjudged the staff and time the game would need. Bloomberg noted that Epic was already encouraging the use of AI across its divisions and said no other major gaming company had previously tried to make a game primarily with AI.
Disney invested $1.5 billion in Epic in 2024 and took an equity stake, and the two companies announced a partnership spanning multiple games, with this shooter expected to be the first. In March, Epic announced it was cutting 1,000 jobs, in part due to slowing engagement in Fortnite.
A 2026 GDC survey found that more than a third of game developers use AI in their work, while more than half believe it is harmful to the industry.
Earlier today, we announced that Yuji Horii, the creator of Dragon Quest, produced a new game using AI in about 30 minutes.
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