No more hand-written code? Epic's Disney project reportedly shifts to 'AI-First

Alissa McAloon,Editorial Director,GameDeveloper.com

October 14, 2026

schedule2 Min Read

Epic Games has reportedly mandated a sizable shift to its development principles, with Bloomberg reporting that the company has delayed an upcoming Disney game amid the project’s shift to an “AI-first” production model.

The change, which was backed up in part by a social media statement from Epic CEO Tim Sweeney shortly after publication, marks a very high-profile adoption of generative AI tools in a field where use of the nascent tech is still considered controversial among some developers and players.

According to the Bloomberg report, developers working on the upcoming Star Wars and Marvel shooter have been instructed to lean heavily on AI during development, especially during the creation of code and art. In an email reviewed by the publication, the game’s director reportedly told developers that the title’s art should be “generated with full AI workflows” and to use “no more hand-written code”. News of the pivot was paired with a delay: the game’s release is shifting away from its March target and to a new but yet-unrevealed release date further down the line.

Shortly after rumors of the AI pivot started to circulate in the wake of Bloomberg’s recording, Sweeney took to X to share a statement on Epic Games’ approach toward AI and how that approach is in the middle of a major change.

“We have a huge pivot underway here at Epic, moving developers around to retool for maximum AI acceleration,” reads Sweeney’s X post. “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.”

Epic GamesGenerative AI, Machine Learning, & LLMs

About the Author

Alissa McAloon

Editorial Director, GameDeveloper.com

As the Editorial Director of Game Developer, Alissa McAloon brings a decade of experience in the video game industry and media. When not working in the world of B2B game journalism, Alissa enjoys spending her time in the worlds of immersive sandbox games or dabbling in the occasional TTRPG.

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