Breaking news from the makers of Fortnite: Epic Games has reportedly instructed the developers of its new Disney game to shift production to an "AI First" approach. This was reported by Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, as summarized by Nintendo Life and others. Epic has not yet officially confirmed this.
What exactly is happening at Epic?
According to Bloomberg, the teams behind the shooter, which features characters from the Marvel and Star Wars universes, are reportedly set to use AI tools, including Anthropic's Claude. Humans are expected to then control and guide the AI's work. In an internal message seen by Bloomberg, a Game Director allegedly stated that there would be "no more hand-written code," and art should be created with "AI workflows." Reports indicate that some Epic developers are aghast at this.
The apparent reason behind this is a delay: The project was originally targeting a March release, but a new date has not yet been communicated, according to the report.
Why is this such a big deal for the industry?
In 2024, Disney invested approximately 1.5 billion US dollars in Epic and acquired a stake. The plan was to create a "games and entertainment universe" as a multi-year project. According to Bloomberg, Epic already relies heavily on AI in several areas, but this would be the first time a major game developer intends to develop a title predominantly with AI.
From our perspective, this is a delicate precedent. If a Marvel and Star Wars shooter is truly primarily driven by AI workflows, the question arises of how quality and unique style can be ensured. For players, this means for now: nothing changes, but pay close attention when the game is shown. Whether and how Epic and Disney react remains to be seen. Until then, we are treating the details as an unconfirmed report.
How is the community reacting to AI in game development?
The use of AI in studios has been causing controversy for months. Just this week, news also circulated that Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii allegedly generated a new game in just 30 minutes using AI. How fans will react to Epic's direction is still open, as we have not yet received any specific reactions.
Source: Nintendo Life (referencing Bloomberg)
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