"Our humble goal is to survive the AI revolution" says Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, as its Star Wars and Marvel crossover pivots to "AI first" development | Art will be "generated with full AI workflows".

An unannounced Star Wars and Marvel crossover shooter at Epic Games has been delayed indefinitely from its planned March 2027 release, and developers have been instructed to adopt an "AI first" production model using tools such as Anthropic's Claude, with art to be "generated with full AI workflows", according to a Bloomberg report. In response, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney posted on X that Epic is undergoing a "huge pivot" to retool developers for maximum AI acceleration, aiming to help everyone build "more and better stuff" rather than replace staff. He also addressed concerns about generative AI, saying much of the audience wishes it were 2016 again but Epic must design for the present and future, and added that Epic's "more modest aim" is to survive the AI revolution and help other developers do the same. Sweeney claimed AI already yields variable efficiency gains—from 20% in some technical areas to 5x in others like web development—and predicted that by the end of 2026 very little will be less than 3x January 2026 efficiency. He argued AI's biggest impact will be faster iteration from idea to playtesting, which he believes will improve game design. The article also notes Epic's March layoffs of over 1,000 employees, citing declining console sales, legal disputes with Apple and Google, and difficulty sustaining "consistent Fortnite magic", and the author reflects skeptically on the cultural inevitability of AI-driven blockbuster crossovers.

(Source：PC Gamer)