Fortnite Creator’s Next Game With Marvel & Star Wars Characters Hits Unexpected Roadblock

Mon, October 12, 2026 at 9:41 PM UTC
Fortnite developer has delayed its secret crossover game. The unannounced project reportedly hit internal production setbacks. Epic Games is developing the shooter title in collaboration with Disney, featuring Marvel and Star Wars characters. The untitled game was originally slated to launch in March, but Epic has delayed its release without announcing a new date, according […]

Fortnite developer has delayed its secret crossover game. The unannounced project reportedly hit internal production setbacks. Epic Games is developing the shooter title in collaboration with Disney, featuring Marvel and Star Wars characters.

The untitled game was originally slated to launch in March, but Epic has delayed its release without announcing a new date The studio has reportedly instructed its staff to adopt an “AI-first” production model to complete the project

Teams were told to use Anthropic’s Claude to help build the game. “No more hand-written code,” one of the game’s directors wrote in an internal message to staff, adding that all artwork will rely on full AI workflows.

Disney’s expanding gaming ambitions face a complex challenge

The development delay marks an unexpected hurdle in Disney’s multi-billion-dollar strategic push into interactive entertainment. In 2024, Disney invested $1.5 billion in Epic Games to acquire an equity stake and build a multi-game ecosystem. The shooter involving Marvel and Star Wars characters was meant to begin that partnership.

The Bloomberg report also mentioned that progress on the new game slowed because Epic underestimated both the staffing demands and the time required to build. In March, Epic said it was cutting 1,000 jobs, as part to slower Fortnite sales.

The full AI shift also reportedly surprised several Epic developers during a video call last week. Some questioned how the team would address the AI-generated errors, while others expressed doubts about the approach’s effectiveness.

Epic Games has been pushing for AI adoption across all of its divisions, but Bloomberg says this is the first time a major video-game company has tried to build a title mainly with AI.

Gamers have often criticized AI-made content as lower quality and for its impact on creative jobs. Amid such intense debate, the newly reported changes could add further pressure on the upcoming Disney game, which now holds no official release date.