Epic orders an AI-first Disney game, Bloomberg reports

A studio just told its developers to stop writing code by hand. On a Disney game.

Epic Games delayed its Disney project and told the team to adopt an "AI first" production plan, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 12, citing unnamed sources, according to Engadget's account of the report. The internal message said "No more hand-written code" and that all art would be "generated with full AI workflows," Engadget reported.

Bloomberg's article is paywalled. The details here come through Engadget and The A.V. Club, which both relay it.

Epic confirms the direction, not the details

Epic communications director Jake Jones told Bloomberg: "We're embracing AI-accelerated development," Engadget reported. The A.V. Club quotes the statement going on: "led by Epic developers."

The approach was not universally well received, and some employees reportedly hoped the request was not entirely serious, Engadget reported, citing Bloomberg. The A.V. Club says staff were reportedly "stunned." Disney did not comment in the Bloomberg report, according to The A.V. Club.

The two outlets differ on the timeline. Engadget says Bloomberg reported the game had already been pushed to March before the AI directive. The A.V. Club describes March as the original date. Neither gives a new release date.

The money behind it is large. Disney announced a $1.5 billion investment in Epic in 2024 to build a "games and entertainment universe," Engadget notes.

A flagship game is now the test case

Most "AI first" claims live in demos and internal tools. This one is attached to a Disney game with a release date fans will watch.

Epic also makes Unreal Engine, and Engadget notes it has been adding generative AI tools to the engine this year. What Epic's own team learns under this order is likely to shape the tools other studios get.

The developers using those tools are skeptical. In GDC's annual survey, 52% of developers said generative AI is bad for the industry, up from 30% in 2025, according to Engadget. Game professionals who use it do so primarily for research and programming rather than asset creation, Engadget reports.

The order goes straight at the part most of them avoid: art.

Yes, this is one report built on unnamed sources. Epic's own statement still confirms the direction.

If your boss reads this story

Someone in your company will forward it. Get ahead of that.

Define what "AI first" means for your team before it is defined for you. Which tasks, which tools, and who signs off on what the model produced. When hand-written code goes to zero, reviewing generated code becomes the job, and someone has to own the bugs it ships with.

If you make art, write down where AI output is acceptable and where it is not, and why. A policy you wrote beats a directive you received.

Watch the release date

The test is simple and public. If the game ships on its new date and plays well, expect executives at other studios to cite it within months. If it slips again, they will cite that too.

Watch the date. Then watch the reviews.