Epic Games is moving a forthcoming Disney project toward an AI-first production model, turning generative tools from optional assistants into an explicit part of how the game is supposed to be completed. The project’s developers have been directed to use systems including Anthropic’s Claude for code and art generation, according to a Bloomberg report summarized by The Verge on October 13.

The internal mandate appears unusually broad. Bloomberg reported that one project director told staff there would be no more manually written code and that the game’s art would be produced through full AI workflows. The Verge said the unannounced game has also slipped beyond its original March release window. Neither Epic nor Disney responded to The Verge’s request for further comment on the project.

Epic did confirm the larger strategic direction to Bloomberg. Spokesperson Jake Jones said the company was embracing AI-accelerated development. Epic chief executive Tim Sweeney separately described a major pivot in which developers are being reassigned and retrained to maximize the use of AI. He said the objective was to help teams build more and better work rather than produce the same output with fewer employees.

Developers guide an AI system creating code structures and original game art.
The project’s reported mandate extends across both software development and visual production.

That distinction is important but remains a statement of intent. AI-assisted production can raise output, change job responsibilities or reduce the amount of manual work required, and the eventual labor effect will depend on how Epic reorganizes teams. Earlier in 2026, the company laid off more than 1,000 employees after what The Verge described as a downturn in Fortnite engagement since 2025.

Details of the Disney game remain unofficial. Bloomberg characterized it as a shooter using characters from Marvel and Star Wars, according to The Verge. The title is part of a multiyear relationship between Epic and Disney, which invested $1.5 billion in Epic in 2024. Because the project has not been publicly announced, its design, release timing and final use of AI could still change.

Epic already uses AI inside Fortnite, including an interactive Darth Vader character that appeared in the game. The reported Disney project would go further by applying generative systems to the production pipeline itself. Instead of adding one AI-powered feature to a finished game, the mandate described by Bloomberg puts AI into the creation of core software and visual assets.

A game studio faces a choice between traditional tools and an AI-assisted pipeline.
The project may test whether an AI-first process can improve output without undermining consistency or trust.

The shift also fits Sweeney’s public position on disclosure. He has argued that Steam should remove its made-with-AI label because he expects AI to become involved in nearly all future production. Epic’s new policy gives that prediction operational weight: if code and art pass through AI workflows by default, labeling individual components may become harder even as players, artists and developers continue to care how a game was made.

Epic is not alone in exploring this approach. The Verge noted that Meta and Google have introduced AI tools for game development, while Microsoft has created Xbox Labs to explore tasks including game porting. What distinguishes Epic’s reported move is the language of a mandate attached to a commercial project rather than a limited experiment or optional toolkit.

The delayed Disney game will become a closely watched test of whether AI-first production can improve speed and quality without creating new problems in consistency, authorship or workforce trust. For now, the available reporting establishes a forceful change in process, not its outcome. Epic has confirmed the broad pivot, but the quality of the resulting game—and the effect on the people building it—cannot yet be measured.