Epic Games has reportedly delayed its unannounced extraction shooter featuring characters from Marvel and Star Wars, while simultaneously issuing a radical mandate to staff: an end to hand-written code in favor of artificial intelligence. The project, which represents a major piece of the $1.5 billion partnership established between Disney and Epic in 2024, was originally targeting a March 2027 release window.
According to reports from Bloomberg and IGN, the delay is accompanied by an internal directive from project directors stating there will be “no more hand-written code” for the title’s development. Staff have been instructed to utilize Anthropic’s AI assistant, Claude, to handle the game’s programming requirements. This pivot is not limited to the technical back-end; artwork for the project is also mandated to be produced through full AI workflows.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has publicly characterized the change as a “huge pivot” designed for “maximum AI acceleration.” Communications Director Jake Jones also confirmed the company is embracing what it calls “AI-accelerated development” to move the project forward.
While leadership frames the move as a strategic acceleration, the mandate follows a period of significant internal change. Epic Games laid off approximately 1,000 employees in March 2026, a workforce reduction that left several high-stakes projects understaffed. Industry analysts suggest the AI-first approach may be an attempt to maintain the scale of the Disney project—an extraction-style shooter comparable to titles like Arc Raiders—with a significantly reduced human headcount.
The transition has not been without friction. Internal sources indicate that progress on the Marvel and Star Wars title was already slower than expected due to initial staffing misjudgments. The new reliance on AI prompts and editors over traditional engineering represents a fundamental shift in how Epic Games builds its AAA titles.
Despite the $1.5 billion investment from Disney intended to create a “persistent universe” within Fortnite and beyond, Epic has yet to set a new firm release date for the shooter. The mandate to abandon manual coding marks one of the most aggressive implementations of generative AI in a major studio to date, as the company seeks to meet Disney’s brand standards while navigating its current staffing reality.
