Epic Games has delayed the release of its unannounced shooter being developed in partnership with Disney. According to a Bloomberg report from October 12, 2026, the game had been scheduled for March; the release date has been pushed back indefinitely, and no new date was given to the team. The game was planned to feature Marvel and Star Wars characters. The story was reported by two independent outlets — Bloomberg and Ars Technica. The project was the first of several joint games planned as part of Disney's $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games in 2024.

Release Delayed

According to Bloomberg's sources, the project was already behind its production schedule before the delay was announced. The publication writes that Epic Games misjudged the number of employees needed for the project and the time required to complete the work. As a result, the March date became unachievable.

A new release date has not been set. Bloomberg reports that team members were given no information about the next deadline. The game had not yet been officially announced to the public.

Team Ordered Into "AI First" Mode

Alongside the delay, the project team was moved to a new production regime. According to an internal message seen by Bloomberg, one of the directors ordered developers to work in «AI first» mode.

The first requirement of the directive is full use of Anthropic's Claude model. Bloomberg writes that the team will apply the AI model at every stage of the production process.

The second requirement is «no more hand-written code». This means developers will stop writing code by hand and hand code creation entirely over to AI tools.

The third requirement concerns the game's art: art design will be created through «full AI workflows» — that is, the artistic design is fully handed over to AI workflows.

The decision was announced to the team on an internal video call. According to Bloomberg's sources, some developers were left «stunned» by what they heard.

Tim Sweeney Confirms the Pivot

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney did not deny the Bloomberg report in a comment on social media. He openly confirmed that a major pivot was underway at the company.

«we have a huge pivot underway here at Epic, moving developers around to retool for maximum AI acceleration» — Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games

According to Sweeney, developers are being redeployed to achieve maximum acceleration with AI tools. The CEO stressed that the goal of the process is not to reduce headcount. He said the main goal is to build more and better products. In the CEO's words, developers are being retooled to work with AI tools — the goal being to accelerate the production process as much as possible.

Company's Official Statement

Epic Games communications director Jake Jones commented on the company's position in a statement to Bloomberg.

«Weʻre embracing AI-accelerated development, led by Epic developers who are the visionaries and creative drivers for everything we do» — Jake Jones, Epic Games Communications Director

Jones stressed that Epic developers remain the visionaries and creative drivers of all the work. According to the statement, the company is adopting a production method accelerated by artificial intelligence.

History of the Disney Partnership

Disney invested $1.5 billion in Epic Games in 2024, taking a stake in the company. Ars Technica reported this.

The shooter was planned as the first of several joint games between the two companies. The game has not yet been officially announced.

What Remains Unknown

The new release date of the delayed game has not been announced. According to Bloomberg, the team itself was not given the next deadline either.

Because the game has not been officially announced, its name and other details also remain undisclosed. So far, the only confirmed facts are that the project is being developed in partnership with Disney and that Marvel and Star Wars characters are planned to appear in it.

How the Story Was Covered

The story was first covered by Bloomberg's report. The publication relied on an internal message it had seen and sources familiar with the project. The report details the contents of the internal message, listing the requirements for full use of the Claude model, abandoning hand-written code, and creating art design through AI workflows. The same day, Ars Technica also covered the story, citing Sweeney's social media comment and recalling Disney's 2024 investment. Both pieces were published on October 12.