Epic Games goes “AI first” on its Disney shooter, Bloomberg reports
Epic Games is shifting to an “AI first” development strategy for its collaboration with the Walt Disney Company, according to a Bloomberg report. The report says AI models will write all the code and guide all the artwork for an upcoming shooter. Bloomberg cites unnamed people familiar with the project, who described the pivot as a significant change in internal development at the Unreal Engine maker.
Internal Epic employee messages viewed by Bloomberg say human developers will be tasked with managing and guiding code and art assets generated by models such as Anthropic’s Claude. In the report’s words, that means “no more hand-written code” and art assets “generated with full AI workflows.”
The $1.5 billion collaboration between Epic and Disney, announced in early 2024, was slated to release a Marvel- and Star Wars-themed shooter in March 2027. According to the report, that project has now been delayed indefinitely amid the AI-related shakeup and understaffed, slower-than-expected development thus far.
Epic responded publicly. A spokesperson said in a statement: “We’re embracing AI-accelerated development, led by Epic developers who are the visionaries and creative drivers for everything we do.” Epic CEO Tim Sweeney wrote on social media shortly after the Bloomberg story was posted that “We have a huge pivot underway here at Epic, moving developers around to retool for maximum AI acceleration.” He added: “The aim isn’t to do the same stuff with fewer people, but to enable everyone here to build MORE and BETTER stuff, and to bring the benefits to all teams using Unreal.”
Key facts
- Bloomberg, citing unnamed people familiar with the project, reports Epic is moving its Disney collaboration shooter to an “AI first” strategy, with AI models writing all the code and guiding all the artwork.
- Internal messages viewed by Bloomberg say human developers will manage and guide code and art generated by models such as Anthropic’s Claude: “no more hand-written code.”
- The Marvel- and Star Wars-themed shooter, slated for March 2027 under the $1.5 billion Epic-Disney collaboration announced in early 2024, has been delayed indefinitely, per the report.
- Tim Sweeney confirmed “a huge pivot” to retool developers for AI acceleration and said the aim is not to do the same work with fewer people but to build more and better.
Why it matters
Epic is the maker of Unreal Engine, and the report describes it handing code and art production for a major licensed game to AI models, with humans managing and guiding the output. The project is the shooter from its $1.5 billion collaboration with Disney, announced in early 2024. Sweeney’s own words, “a huge pivot underway,” and his stated aim to bring the benefits to all teams using Unreal, suggest this is meant as a company-wide direction rather than a one-off experiment.
Who it affects
Epic developers, who are being moved around to retool for AI acceleration. The Disney collaboration, whose Marvel- and Star Wars-themed shooter has lost its March 2027 slot. Players waiting for that game, since no new date is given. And, by Sweeney’s account, teams using Unreal, to whom Epic says it wants to bring the benefits.
How to use it
This is a report about one studio’s internal strategy, not a product or tool release, so there is nothing to adopt directly. The workflow it describes is the takeaway: models such as Claude generate the code and art assets, and human developers manage and guide them.
How solid is it
The core claims come from Bloomberg, which cites unnamed people familiar with the project and internal Epic employee messages it viewed. Epic has publicly acknowledged the direction: a spokesperson spoke of embracing “AI-accelerated development,” and Sweeney confirmed a “huge pivot” on social media. The more specific details, including “no more hand-written code,” the use of Claude, and the reasons for the delay, are attributed to the report and the internal messages rather than to Epic’s public statements.
Risks and caveats
The shooter is delayed indefinitely and no new release date is given. The report ties the delay to the AI-related shakeup and to understaffed, slower-than-expected development so far. The sources are unnamed. Epic’s public wording stresses developers leading the work, which is softer than the report’s “no more hand-written code.” Sweeney says the aim is not to do the same with fewer people, and the source gives no layoff or headcount figures. The source does not say whether the “AI first” approach applies to Epic projects other than the Disney collaboration shooter, or whether Disney has commented on the pivot or the delay.
“The aim isn’t to do the same stuff with fewer people, but to enable everyone here to build MORE and BETTER stuff, and to bring the benefits to all teams using Unreal.”
— Tim Sweeney, Epic CEO, on social media