Epic Games to make first big budget AI-only game with new Disney shooter

A Marvel and Star Wars shooter has been impacted by Epic Games’ shift to ‘AI first’ development, and the developers aren’t happy about it.

While some developers seem hesitant about adopting generative AI tools, perhaps partly in fear of negative blowback, Epic Games has embraced it more than most. 

The company’s CEO, Tim Sweeney, has been vocal about his endorsement of the technology, calling Steam’s disclosure of AI use in games ‘really irresponsible’. 

Now, in a post on X on Monday (October 12), Sweeney confirmed a ‘huge pivot’ is underway at Epic Games, which will move ‘developers around to retool for maximum AI acceleration’.

He added: ‘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.’

According to Bloomberg writer Jason Schreier, the post was an attempt to pre-empt his own article about the shift. He claims that Epic Games has instructed its developers to implement an ‘AI first’ production model using tools like Anthropic’s Claude. It’s said humans will only manage and guide the work conducted by generative AI. 

The team behind an unannounced shooter featuring Marvel and Star Wars characters has reportedly been told to use ‘no more handwritten code’. The article claims the game’s directors told staff that all art for the title will also be ‘generated with full AI workflows’ – which implies assets, initially at least, will be built using the tech. 

The Marvel and Star Wars crossover had been slated for March next year, but it has reportedly been delayed to an unspecified date. It’s claimed the title’s development has been slower than expected, partially because Epic underestimated how many people and how much time it would take to create. As such, this AI push is intended to speed up its progress. 

According to the report, some Epic developers were left ‘stunned’ by the news last week. It’s claimed some ‘made jokes’ about whether they should ask Claude to fix its own mistakes if it produced errors, while others hoped it wasn’t a ‘serious request’ and that the company would reverse the decision. 

It’s believed this is the first time a major game company (publicly, at least) has attempted to build a title primarily with generative AI. 

While AI can help speed up administrative tasks within game development, as a creative pursuit, this push is a worrying sign of business convenience encroaching on artistic merit. However, the reported pushback from the team is at least reassuring – even if they are at the mercy of their corporate overlords. 

Speaking to Bloomberg, an Epic Games’ spokesperson said: ‘We’re embracing AI-accelerated development, led by Epic developers who are the visionaries and creative drivers for everything we do.’

This AI push comes after Epic Games laid off 1,000 employees earlier this year because engagement had dropped for its live service hit, Fortnite. 

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