Epic Games Pushes Developers to Embrace ‘AI-First’ Approach for Delayed Shooter with Marvel and Star Wars Icons

Epic Games is diving headfirst into generative AI for an upcoming shooter featuring characters from Marvel and Star Wars. Developers on the project have been instructed to integrate AI into their workflows, particularly for creating the game’s art.

Reports indicate that the team is adopting an “AI-first” production model utilizing Anthropic’s Claude AI models. They’ve been directed to move away from “hand-written code,” with artists encouraged to fully embrace AI technology, which has faced criticism from players. The director of this unannounced game has emphasized that all art should be “generated with full AI workflows.”

“We’re embracing AI-accelerated development, led by Epic developers who are the visionaries and creative drivers for everything we do,” stated a communications director at Epic Games.

CEO Tim Sweeney has openly expressed his enthusiasm for generative AI, even criticizing platforms for requiring developers to disclose their use of such technology. However, many within Epic Games have reacted with confusion and shock to the recent AI policies. There are concerns about how the company plans to address mistakes made by AI and prevent subpar quality from affecting the final product.

The shooter, initially slated for a March 2027 release, has been delayed due to slow progress and staffing shortages. Despite a significant $1.5 billion investment from Disney in 2024 for collaborations, including this project, Epic Games laid off 1,000 employees earlier this year amid challenges with their battle royale title and ongoing antitrust litigation.

In recent weeks, the modding and homebrew scenes have seen a surge of new projects fueled by advancements in AI models like Claude Opus 5.5. This has led to innovations ranging from jailbreaking PS5s to enabling browser-based versions of popular classics.

So far, no major gaming company has attempted to leverage this technology on a large scale as a core part of their development pipeline. Those who have suggested such an approach have often faced significant backlash from the gaming community.