Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said the company is making a “huge pivot” toward artificial intelligence in video game development. In posts on X, he said Epic was moving developers to “retool for maximum AI acceleration.” The announcement followed a reported delay to an Epic collaboration with Disney featuring characters from Star Wars and Marvel.
Bloomberg reported that Epic had asked developers to use AI tools to finish the game. Directors, the outlet said, told staff “no more hand-written code” and said the game’s art would be “generated with full AI workflows.” Epic hasn't announced details of the project. BBC Newsbeat said it had approached Epic about its increased use of AI and the reported delay.
The reported workflow
Sweeney described the change as a way to expand what developers can make. The aim wasn't “to do the same stuff with fewer people,” he said, but to give developers tools to build “more” and “better stuff.” He called that “empowering” for creators.
The statements came after reports about the Disney collaboration’s development. Bloomberg said Epic had asked developers to use AI tools to finish the game, while directors told staff to stop using hand-written code. The report also described plans for art created through full AI workflows. Epic hasn't announced the project’s details.
One reply to Sweeney’s X thread accused him of not being able to read the room. The thread received 14,000 likes. Sweeney replied: “much of the room wants it to be 2016, but it's not.” He added: “Our job, as the provider of tools and technology to much of the industry, is to design for the present that is and the future that will soon be.”
Layoffs and the AI debate
Sweeney described Epic’s increased use of AI as the company’s “modest aim to survive the AI revolution” and to end up “making better code and content faster.” The announcement came six months after Epic confirmed it was laying off more than 1,000 employees.
At the time, Sweeney blamed the cuts on a “downturn” in Fortnite engagement, not AI. Epic’s statements about layoffs and new AI plans are separate: the company linked the cuts to lower engagement, while Sweeney has now described AI as part of its development plans.
The move has renewed debate about AI’s role in creative and arts work. Reported plans for AI-generated game art and AI tools to finish the Disney collaboration have entered that debate, alongside Sweeney’s stated aim of enabling developers to build more and better content.
In 2025, actor union Sag-Aftra filed a complaint over the use of AI to recreate the voice of Star Wars villain Darth Vader in Fortnite. That complaint concerned recreating a voice; the current reported Disney collaboration involves AI tools for development and art. Epic hasn't announced details of that project.