Report: Epic delays Disney game and directs team toward AI-first development

Epic Games delayed an unannounced Disney game from a planned March release and directed its development team to adopt an AI-first production model for code and art, according to reporting based on people familiar with the project and an internal message. Epic has not communicated a replacement release date.

Epic’s public response was narrower than the project-specific instructions described in the report. Communications director Jake Jones said the company is embracing AI-accelerated development, with Epic developers remaining the visionaries and creative drivers. The statement did not confirm that the game’s team had been told to stop writing code by hand or use full AI workflows for art.

The report described a shooter featuring characters from Disney’s Marvel and Star Wars franchises. It said the internal direction called for AI-generated code, named Anthropic’s Claude among the tools developers were instructed to use, and assigned people to manage and guide the generated output.

The evidence does not establish the AI shift as the sole cause of the delay. The report also said development had moved more slowly than expected because Epic underestimated the staffing and time the project would require.

The game is part of a multiyear collaboration announced by Epic and Disney in February 2024. That announcement paired plans for a connected games and entertainment universe with Disney’s planned $1.5 billion investment for an equity stake in Epic, subject at the time to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

The inspected company announcement and report do not disclose the game’s title, supported platforms, or a new release date. A Disney spokesperson did not immediately respond to the report’s request for comment.