Epic’s Disney Shooter Is Delayed as AI Push Ends Handwritten Code
The project was originally planned for March 2027 and will feature characters from Marvel and Star Wars.
Epic Games has delayed its unannounced Disney shooter, originally planned for March 2027, while shifting the project toward an AI-first workflow. Developers had not been given a replacement date. An internal message reviewed by Bloomberg instructed staff to stop writing code by hand and said the game’s art would be created through full AI workflows.
The game will feature characters from Marvel and Star Wars. Developers were asked to use AI tools such as Anthropic’s Claude, with people guiding the work. Epic communications director Jake Jones said developers would remain the creative leads in the company’s AI-accelerated process.
Bloomberg’s account describes the directive as a surprise to some members of the team. Some joked about it, while others hoped Epic was not serious.
The shooter is part of a broader multiyear Disney-Epic partnership announced in 2024 to create a games and entertainment universe. Disney invested $1.5 billion for an equity stake in Epic alongside the partnership.
Epic had also laid off more than 1,000 employees in March 2026, citing Fortnite engagement that had declined since 2025 and costs that outpaced revenue.
On October 12, CEO Tim Sweeney described a company-wide pivot toward maximum AI acceleration and said Epic was moving developers around to prepare. He said the goal was to help teams build more and better work, rather than have fewer people produce the same work, and to extend those benefits to teams using Unreal.
We have a huge pivot underway here at Epic, moving developers around to retool for maximum AI acceleration.
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 (@TimSweeneyEpic) October 12, 2026
How much of a game’s code and art should be generated by AI while developers remain its creative leads? For updates on how Epic applies its AI plans to this shooter and Unreal, stay connected through X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
