According to a new report, Epic Games has delayed its in-development Disney-licensed shooter, and its workers are being asked to adopt an “AI-first” model. This report has been swiftly followed by a public announcement from Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, who is seemingly fully embracing this rumored shift to an AI-first model.
Rumors of an official Disney-themed Epic Games-developed shooter first surfaced back in April. Bloomberg was the first to shed light on this rumored game, claiming that it would be an ARC Raiders-like extraction shooter featuring Disney characters that was originally expected to launch in November 2026. Bloomberg’s initial report mentioned that while the developers working on the project were confident that the game would succeed, internal reviews were less optimistic, expressing concern over some unoriginal gameplay mechanics. Epic Games and Disney have remained very tight-lipped about this project and its other rumored upcoming collaborations, with the former simply confirming that it’s working on “building a new games and entertainment universe of Disney experiences.”
Epic Games’ Disney Shooter is Delayed, Developers Adopting an “AI-First” Model
A new report from Bloomberg claims that Epic Games’ Disney shooter has just been delayed internally, pushing it from its rumored March 2027 release window. Following this internal delay, the Disney shooter’s developers have reportedly been asked to adopt an “AI-first” model, with a recent internal memo telling them to stop using handwritten code and instead use AI tools like Claude from here on out. The Disney shooter’s art will also be “generated with full AI workflows,” according to this leaked memo. Bloomberg states that many developers on the project were taken aback by this announcement.
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Image via Epic Games -
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Shortly after Bloomberg’s report was published, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney took to Twitter to seemingly confirm this new AI-first direction not just for the developers of this Disney shooter project, but seemingly for the entirety of Epic Games. Sweeney begins the statement by confirming that a “huge pivot” is underway at Epic Games that is retooling the company for “maximum AI acceleration.” Sweeney then claims that the aim of this pivot isn’t to “do the same stuff with fewer people,” but instead “enable everyone” to build “MORE and BETTER stuff.” Sweeney also hints that AI-integration will be a greater part of Unreal Engine development moving forward.
This is far from the first time that the Epic Games CEO has expressed his desire to embrace more AI tools during game development. Back in June, Sweeney told PC Gamer that he believes Steam’s AI disclosures are “irresponsible” as it makes it “much, much, much harder for a game developer to have a chance of success.” Sweeney also stated that Valve’s mandatory AI disclosures create a “hater community trying to kill the game.”
More recently, in July, the Epic Games CEO seemed to suggest that AI use could have saved Destiny 2. In response to a Forbes report discussing the reasons behind Destiny 2’s ‘death’, Sweeny theorized that “some sort of newfangled technology” could “enable games like Destiny to thrive.”