IT Home, October 13 news: Epic Games is fully committing to applying artificial intelligence in game development. While the studio has been producing games for Disney, insiders have told Bloomberg that the launch of one of its upcoming titles has been delayed to incorporate more AI technologies during development.
Bloomberg reported that one of the game's directors informed the team that the project would adopt an "AI-first" development approach. The internal memo stated: "No more handwritten code," and required all art assets to be "generated through a full AI workflow."
Sources say the new initiative has not been universally endorsed by all developers, with some employees reportedly believing the requirement was not serious. However, Epic Games has already rolled out numerous generative AI tools on the Unreal Engine platform this year, making the directive appear quite genuine. In a statement to Bloomberg, Epic’s Head of Public Relations, Jake Jones, said: “We are embracing an AI-accelerated development model, led by Epic’s developers, who are the visionaries and creative core behind all of our work.”
Disney invested $1.5 billion in Epic as early as 2024 (IT Home note: approximately RMB 10.05 billion at current exchange rates). Over the years, numerous Disney characters have appeared as cosmetic skins in Fortnite, and this deeper collaboration aims to create a “gaming and entertainment universe.” Earlier this year, rumors suggested that the most anticipated project this developer is creating for Disney is an extraction shooter similar to Arc Raiders. Originally scheduled for release in November, the latest report from Bloomberg indicates that the launch date had already been postponed to March, even before the new AI development requirements were issued.
An annual survey by the Game Developers Conference shows that an increasing number of developers believe generative AI will harm the industry. This year, 52% of respondents viewed the technology as detrimental to the industry, compared to just 30% in 2025. The survey also found that while many game industry professionals are indeed using generative AI tools, most use them primarily for tasks such as research and coding, rather than creating art assets.