Epic Mandates 'No More Hand-Written Code' for Disney — SkimNews
Get the Tech newsletter
Daily tech — startups, AI labs, chips, the launches that shape the next decade. Free.
- Epic Games mandated "AI-first" development for its unannounced Disney shooter, with one director telling staff "No more hand-written code" and directing that all art be "generated with full AI workflows," per Bloomberg.
- Developers are being told to use tools including Anthropic's Claude; Epic spokesperson Jake Jones told Bloomberg the company is "embracing AI-accelerated development."
- The shooter features Marvel and Star Wars characters and is part of a multiyear collaboration; Disney invested $1.5 billion in Epic in 2024.
- Tim Sweeney tweeted the shift is a "huge pivot" aimed at letting developers "build MORE and BETTER stuff," framing the AI push as additive rather than a headcount-cutting exercise.
- The game has been delayed from its original March release window, according to Bloomberg's report.
- Epic already uses AI in Fortnite (which previously featured an AI Darth Vader) and laid off over 1,000 employees earlier this year following a reported engagement downturn on the game since 2025; Sweeney has separately urged Steam to drop its "made with AI" tag.
Why it matters: The "no more hand-written code" directive lands as Epic has shed over 1,000 employees this year and faces a reported Fortnite engagement decline since 2025 — making Sweeney's framing that the AI pivot enables "MORE and BETTER stuff" rather than fewer people a direct test for developers who already lost their jobs in that same period, and a signal of where AAA game development may be heading next.
Ask SkimNews
