Epic Games has delayed an unannounced shooter bringing Marvel and Star Wars characters together. The project was previously expected in March 2027, but it no longer has a replacement release date.
The delay comes as Epic reportedly directs the development team towards a generative-AI-led production process. Tools including Anthropic’s Claude are being used as the company reassesses how the game will be built. Bloomberg’s reporting says the project’s developers have been asked to move towards an “AI-first” workflow.
“No more hand-written code,” one director reportedly told staff, alongside a plan for the game’s art to be produced through full AI workflows.
Epic communications director Jake Jones described the approach as AI-accelerated development, while stressing that Epic developers remain responsible for the project’s vision and creative direction.
Epic’s expanding use of generative AI
The shift follows several earlier moves by Epic. Disney invested $1.5 billion in the company in 2024 and entered a multi-game partnership with it. The companies later worked together on an AI-voiced Darth Vader in Fortnite, an experiment that players quickly abused.
Epic also announced this summer that AI would be used to voice three dozen Fortnite skins. Those voices were trained using performances from consenting actors, in a situation compared with the controversy surrounding AI voices in Arc Raiders.
Epic chief executive Tim Sweeney has publicly described the company as undergoing a major restructure to maximise AI-assisted development. He said the intention was not simply to create the same games with fewer people, but to help teams build more and better work using Unreal technology.
When one user questioned whether Epic was judging public attitudes towards AI correctly, Sweeney argued that the company needed to develop tools for the present and near future. He said he was personally optimistic about AI and viewed it as a way to empower creators.
Layoffs and a slower-than-expected project
The AI push follows Epic’s decision to lay off more than 1,000 developers in March. Sweeney attributed the cuts to a decline in Fortnite engagement that began the previous year, leaving the company spending more money than it was earning.
Development on the Marvel and Star Wars crossover reportedly progressed more slowly than Epic expected. Sources cited in the reporting said the company had underestimated both the time required and the number of developers needed to complete the game.
Sweeney responded to several questions about the strategy on X, including one asking how the new direction fitted with the loss of 1,000 jobs. He engaged with other users’ posts but did not answer that specific question.
For arcade fans watching the wider games industry, the situation highlights a continuing tension between faster production tools and the people traditionally responsible for programming, art and performance. The project’s eventual direction—and whether its new process changes the finished shooter—remains unclear.
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