Epic Games is now adopting an AI-first approach, focusing on artificial intelligence technologies.
Fortnite
Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier reported on Fortnite creators’ AI plans. According to his sources, Epic Games management has already instructed employees to shift towards AI in the development process of an unannounced Disney-licensed game — this has led to the title’s release being postponed from March 2027 to an indefinite date.
It is expected that neural networks will be used in both programming and game graphic creation. Schreier writes that Epic Games wants to generate code using tools like Claude, while humans will be responsible for checking the AI-generated product for errors and making corrections.
Schreier’s sources added that Epic Games employees learned about the course change during a video call last week. The news left them stunned. At least part of the developers later expressed hope that management might reconsider and abandon the controversial initiative.
However, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has already publicly confirmed the focus on AI.
“The aim isn’t to do the same stuff with fewer people, but to enable everyone here to build MORE and BETTER stuff, and to bring the benefits to all teams using Unreal,” Sweeney wrote on the social network X.
Sweeney did not comment on the delay of the Disney-licensed game. According to Schreier’s sources, the project is a shooter featuring Marvel and Star Wars heroes. Epic Games allegedly underestimated the time and number of staff required, which led to production falling behind schedule. Now the company hopes AI will help quickly make up for lost time.