Epic tells its Disney shooter team to stop writing code by hand, Bloomberg reports
Epic Games told developers on its delayed Disney shooter to build with AI first, Bloomberg reported, a game tied to Disney's $1.5 billion stake in Epic. Epic has not set a new release date.
The Investor · Invest desk
Three figures: Disney invested $1.5 billion in Epic in 2024 for an equity stake; Epic cut 1,000 jobs earlier this year; the shooter was at one point targeted for a November 2026 launch and is now delayed indefinitely.
| Figure | Value | Note | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disney investment in Epic for an equity stake, 2024 | $1.5 billion | 9 | |
| Jobs Epic cut this year | 1,000 jobs | 10 | |
| Launch target at one point, now delayed indefinitely | 2,026 year | November 2026; no new date announced | 20 |
What happened
- In an internal message Bloomberg reviewed, a project director said the game's artwork would be "generated with full AI workflows."
- Developers were told to use Anthropic's Claude, with humans managing and guiding what it produces.
- Before the delay the game had been slated for a March release at one point and a November 2026 launch at another, Crypto Briefing reported.
- Staff heard the news on a video call last week, and a number of developers were shocked and questioned how errors in AI-generated work would be handled.
Why it matters
- What doesn't add up contradiction Bloomberg's account blames a misjudged headcount and timeline, Crypto Briefing reports originality concerns, and the AI order answers only the first of those.
- Who's exposed exposure Art for a game featuring Marvel and Star Wars characters is to come from full AI workflows, and Disney's spokesperson did not respond to Bloomberg's request for comment.
- What it sets up precedent Bloomberg called this the first attempt by a major game company to build a title on AI as its primary foundation, so the result will be the example other publishers cite.
- Who has to decide decision Epic has to decide how to describe AI's role when it first shows the game, since fans have objected to AI-generated content in past releases.
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Epic's public statement and the internal message do not say the same thing. Jake Jones, communications director at Epic Games, said in a statement to Bloomberg: "We're embracing AI-accelerated development, led by Epic developers who are the visionaries and creative drivers for everything we do." [6] The message to staff said there would be "no more hand-written code" [4]. The two fit together only if "led by" means prompting, reviewing and approving. Crypto Briefing describes the arrangement that way: AI tools generate the material, and people review, refine and approve it [15].
We think the order is aimed at the staffing problem. Epic cut 1,000 jobs earlier this year, citing in part slower Fortnite sales [10], and Bloomberg reported that it had misjudged the headcount this project would need [3]. A studio short of people can hire or can raise output per developer, and a rule of no hand-written code is the second option at its limit. The reports do not include a team size or a tooling cost, so a saving cannot be computed, and they do not say whether Epic is adding staff alongside the tools.
The counter-thesis is the originality account. If the internal reviews that reportedly raised concerns about the game's gameplay and mechanics [21] were what stalled the project, an AI mandate changes who produces the material and leaves the design question in place. Crypto Briefing called using AI to fix an originality problem a gamble, since AI systems are generally built on existing material [13].
Epic has used AI before, for Fortnite concept art, prototyping non-player character dialogue and coding support, and the stated aim was efficiency, not replacing staff [19]. Crypto Briefing called making AI the default creator on a flagship title a much bigger step than that [12]. A survey cited by Bloomberg found that more than one-third of game developers use AI in their work and more than half believe it is harmful to the industry [11].
We would be wrong about the staffing reading if Epic's next disclosure shows the project adding developers, or if the new date lands so far out that the tools bought no time. We would be wrong about the safeguard if human review at Disney's standards consumes the hours that generation saves. Crypto Briefing says Disney's franchises carry strict expectations for how characters look, sound and behave, and that human review is the safeguard [14].
What to watch
- A new release date from Epic, and whether it falls after the November 2026 target reported earlier.
- Any disclosure of project headcount or hiring, which would test the staffing reading of the order.
- How Epic and Disney describe AI's role when the game is first shown publicly.
Information, not investment advice. This story is general information about companies and markets, drawn from cited reporting. It is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security; check the cited sources before acting.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence55
- Adoption30
- Hype gap+25
- Incentives55
- Confidence62
Perspective Coverage
15 publishers- Builder
- Builder 34%
- Operator
- Operator 35%
- Investor
- Investor 31%
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
Epic Games has delayed an unannounced shooter featuring Marvel and Star Wars characters and instructed its developers to adopt an "AI-first" production model, according to Bloomberg.
- [2]
Epic told developers that future content for the Disney shooter should be created primarily with AI, with humans supervising the results, according to Bloomberg.
- [3]
Development has lagged behind schedule, with Epic misjudging both the headcount and the timeline the project would demand, according to Bloomberg.
- [4]
In an internal message Bloomberg reviewed, one of the project's directors told staff there would be "no more hand-written code".
- [5]
Developers were told to use Anthropic's Claude as part of the new approach, with humans managing and guiding the AI's output.
- [6]
"We're embracing AI-accelerated development, led by Epic developers who are the visionaries and creative drivers for everything we do," Jake Jones, communications director at Epic Games, said in a statement to Bloomberg.
- [7]
The news was shared on a video call last week and came as a shock to a number of developers on the team, who questioned how errors in AI-generated work would be handled and doubted the initiative would succeed, according to Bloomberg.
- [8]
Bloomberg described the project as the first attempt by a major video-game company to build a title using AI as the primary foundation of its development pipeline.
- [9]
Disney invested $1.5 billion in Epic in 2024 in exchange for an equity stake, and the two companies agreed to a partnership that was set to begin with this shooter.
- [10]
Epic cut 1,000 jobs earlier this year, citing in part slower Fortnite sales.
- [11]
A survey cited by Bloomberg found that more than one-third of game developers use AI in their work and more than half believe the technology is harmful to the industry.
- [12]
Making AI the default creator on a flagship title is a much bigger step than using it to sketch rough concepts or draft placeholder lines.
- [13]
Using AI to fix an originality problem is an interesting gamble, since AI systems are generally built on existing material.
- [14]
Disney and its franchises carry strict expectations around how characters look, sound and behave, and human review is the safeguard.
- [15]
Under the AI-first model, AI tools generate the material and people review, refine and approve it.
- [16]
A point to track is how Epic describes the role of AI once the game is shown publicly, since fans have been vocal in the past about AI-generated content in games.
- [17]
In the internal message Bloomberg reviewed, the project director said the game's artwork would be "generated with full AI workflows".
- [18]
A Disney spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment, according to Bloomberg.
- [19]
Epic has used AI tools for Fortnite concept art, prototyping dialogue for non-player characters, and coding support; until now the stated aim of that work has been efficiency, not replacing staff.
- [20]
The game had at one point been slated for a March release and at another targeted for a November 2026 launch; it is now delayed indefinitely and Epic has not announced a new launch date.
- [21]
The delay followed internal reviews that reportedly raised concerns about the originality of the game's gameplay and mechanics.
Sources
7 independent publishers whose own reporting we read for this story.
- arstechnica.comReport: Epic Games goes all-in on AI for Disney collaboration | Ars OpenForum
2 articles · October 12, 2026
- cryptobriefing.comEpic Games tells Disney shooter developers to build with AI first
1 article · October 12, 2026
- dexerto.comEpic orders devs to use more AI after delaying Marvel x Star Wars extraction shooter: Report
1 article · October 12, 2026
- gadgetreview.comEpic Games Delays Its Star Wars and Marvel Shooter, Asks Developers to Use More AI - Gadget Review
1 article · October 13, 2026
- Epic Games' Unannounced Marvel And Star Wars Shooter Delayed As Company Goes All-In On AI Development
gameinformer.com
1 article · October 14, 2026
- gamesindustry.bizEpic Games delays Disney game and tells developers to go "AI first" | GamesIndustry.biz
1 article · October 12, 2026
- kotaku.comEpic Games Forces Shocked Developers Into 'AI-First' Mode For Delayed Shooter Featuring Marvel And Star Wars Characters
1 article · October 12, 2026
- pcgamer.com'Our humble goal is to survive the AI revolution' says Epic Games CEO, as its Star Wars and Marvel crossover pivots to 'AI first' development | PC Gamer
1 article · October 12, 2026
- pushsquare.com'No More Hand Written Code': Fortnite Dev's Disney Game to Be an 'AI First' Project | Push Square
1 article · October 12, 2026
- qz.comEpic Games is delaying its Disney shooter and mandating AI-generated code and art
1 article · October 12, 2026
- techdirt.comEpic Games Somehow Gets Even Worse On AI Than Tim Sweeney’s Anti-Disclosure Take
1 article · October 14, 2026
- techrepublic.comEpic Delays Disney Shooter as AI Takes a Bigger Development Role
1 article · October 14, 2026
- techspot.comEpic Games' Disney shooter is going "AI first," whether developers like it or not
1 article · October 13, 2026
- theverge.comEpic shifts to ‘AI-accelerated development’ for upcoming Disney game
1 article · October 13, 2026
- tomshardware.comEpic Games reportedly delays Disney shooter title so it can pivot to AI coding
1 article · October 13, 2026
Topics and entities
Topics
- AI Coding Assistants
- AI in game development
- Video game industry