Epic Games just delayed its highly anticipated Disney-licensed shooter again. This time, the studio is forcing a massive shift in how the game is built. According to recent reports, management has ordered developers to abandon traditional methods and adopt an “AI-first” model.
Rumors about this extraction shooter first surfaced in April. Insiders compared the game to ‘ARC Raiders‘ and originally expected a November 2026 launch. Epic later pushed that target to March 2027. Now, the project faces another internal delay. While developers felt confident in the game, early internal reviews criticized the project for unoriginal gameplay mechanics. So far, Epic and Disney have remained quiet, only stating they are building a “games and entertainment universe”.
“AI-First” Mandate Sparks Internal Shock After Epic Games Delays Disney Shooter
Following the latest delay, a leaked internal memo shocked the development team. Epic instructed its staff to stop writing handwritten code immediately. Instead, developers must now use AI tools like Claude to build the game from here on out.
Furthermore, the mandate extends directly to the art department. The memo explicitly states that the game’s art will now be “generated with full AI workflows”. Understandably, this sudden directive took many developers on the project entirely by surprise.
Epic Games CEO Doubles Down on AI
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney quickly addressed the situation. On October 12, two days ago, he posted on X to confirm a “huge pivot” across the company. He stated that Epic is moving developers around to retool for “maximum AI acceleration”.
We have a huge pivot underway here at Epic, moving developers around to retool for maximum AI acceleration.
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.
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) October 12, 2026
Sweeney claims this shift is not about cutting jobs. He wrote:
The aim isn’t to do the same stuff with fewer people.
Instead, he wants to enable teams to build “MORE and BETTER stuff”. He also hinted that these AI benefits will eventually roll out to all teams using Unreal Engine.
This aggressive push toward AI aligns perfectly with Sweeney’s recent public comments. In June, he criticized Steam’s mandatory AI disclosures as “irresponsible”. He argued that such transparency creates a “hater community trying to kill the game”. More recently in July, he reacted to a Forbes report about the downfall of Destiny 2. Sweeney suggested that “newfangled technology” like AI could have enabled the struggling live-service title to thrive.
Now, Epic Games is putting that theory to the ultimate test.