Disney Crossover Delayed
Epic Games has reportedly delayed its secret Star Wars and Marvel crossover shooter as it pushes its developers to shift to an AI-first production model.
Details on the unannounced Disney video game indicate the untitled crossover experience was slated for release in March, but has since been pushed back to accommodate a new internal release plan that has yet to be shared publicly.
Epic developers attached to the project have been encouraged to use tools such as Anthropic's AI assistant, Claude, with human oversight expected. Internal messaging from one of the game's directors outlined a dramatic shift in production methods.
Mandating Generative AI
No more hand-written code was specified in the internal communication, which also added that all art for the project was to be generated with full AI workflows.
The project faced slower progress than expected because Epic allegedly underestimated the time and resources necessary to develop the Star Wars and Marvel shooter, leading to the postponement.
Epic communications director Jake Jones stated that the company is embracing AI-accelerated development, led by Epic developers who remain the visionaries and creative drivers for their projects.
The heavy reliance on artificial intelligence reportedly left many staff members stunned. Previous reports indicated that Epic was working on an extraction shooter featuring Disney characters.
Executive Pivot
Studio founder and CEO Tim Sweeney confirmed on social media that the company has a massive pivot underway, moving developers around to retool for maximum AI acceleration.
Sweeney stated that the aim is to enable everyone to build more and better content while helping other developers survive the technological shift and produce code more rapidly.
According to Sweeney, a faster development loop will allow teams to reach playtesting stages much earlier, mitigating issues where game systems spend too long in development without being playable.
Disney previously purchased a 1.5 billion dollar stake in the Fortnite developer in 2024. While the companies collaborate on in-game crossovers, Disney has previously refuted rumors of an outright acquisition.
