A Epic Games is expanding the use of artificial intelligence in the development of a game with Disney, after the delay of its release, originally scheduled for March 2027. According to a Bloomberg investigation, published on Monday (12), employees received instructions to use AI in creating code and art materials.
The project, not yet officially announced, would be a shooter game with Marvel and Star Wars characters. Production reportedly progressed more slowly because Epic underestimated the time and team required. A new release date has not yet been set.
Epic guides use of AI in code and art
Internal messages examined by Bloomberg reveal guidelines to prioritize tools such as Claude, from Anthropic. A director reportedly instructed the team to abandon manual code writing, while another instruction established complete workflows for AI art generation.
The measures sparked resistance among developers, who questioned how to correct errors generated by the systems and the viability of the new process.
Spokesperson Jake Jones confirmed to Bloomberg the adoption of a model of AI-accelerated development, but Epic did not publicly detail the specific instructions revealed by the investigation. CEO Tim Sweeney stated that the technology seeks to increase team productivity, not simply reduce staff.
The project is part of the partnership announced in 2024, when Disney invested US$ 1.5 billion in Epic to develop gaming and entertainment experiences connected to Fortnite.
The change comes after the layoff of more than a thousand employees in March 2026. At the time, the company attributed the cuts to the decline in Fortnite engagement and rising costs, while Sweeney denied any connection to AI.
There is no evidence that the new methodology caused the delay or led to the layoffs. Epic also did not say how much of the game will actually be produced with artificial intelligence.
