For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces in game creation, powering roughly 70 % of the titles that appeared on Steam in 2025. While Godot has enjoyed a surge of interest and some major studios continue to rely on proprietary solutions such as Capcom’s RE Engine, the market has largely been a duopoly.
Against this backdrop, three seasoned developers—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—have launched Immens, an AI‑enhanced game engine that they believe can carve out a fresh niche and raise the overall quality of the ecosystem. The founders’ résumés read like a who’s‑who of the industry: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Their combined background gives them a unique perspective on both the technical and business challenges that have kept smaller studios from thriving under the current engine model. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new platform because “the tools that didn’t exist a couple of years ago are now within reach thanks to AI‑supported programming.” He argues that with intelligent assistance, developers can return to building projects from the ground up rather than constantly wrestling with the constraints of existing pipelines.
Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI component is not about generating content through simple prompts. Instead, the technology is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible. “AI can reason over large amounts of data and code,” he says.
“If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even a solo developer can add a custom particle system, a bespoke animation controller, or any other feature without being limited to a narrow scripting layer.” This approach aims to give creators the freedom to extend the engine quickly, using AI as a productivity multiplier rather than a replacement for human ingenuity. The motivation behind Immens is also economic.
Brussee describes the current climate as “rough” for developers, noting that production budgets continue to balloon while the risk of failure grows. “We need new ways of working that lower costs and allow smaller teams to ship high‑quality games faster,” he asserts. De Jong, the chief product officer, adds that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated. While that stability has provided a solid foundation, it also stifles innovation.
“The industry now faces a series of challenges, and simply repeating what we’ve always done isn’t enough,” he says. “We need a different paradigm—one that embraces flexibility and rapid iteration.” A key criticism of existing engines is their monolithic nature. Developers must adapt to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows, often spending weeks or months on tasks that could be automated. De Jong envisions an engine that molds itself to the developer’s needs, allowing users to swap components, append new modules, and craft personalized tools with the exact shortcuts and interfaces that suit their projects.
This modular philosophy, combined with AI‑driven assistance, could dramatically shorten the time required to implement custom features. Valient acknowledges that AI is a double‑edged sword.
While it is “really powerful,” it can also veer off course if left unchecked. To mitigate this, Immens is being built with transparency and control at its core. Users will be able to see exactly what the AI is doing, review its decision history, and ensure repeatable outcomes. This level of oversight is crucial for maintaining artistic intent and avoiding the unpredictable behavior that has plagued some early AI tools.
Immens also champions open standards. By relying on text‑based file formats, the engine can interoperate seamlessly with popular tools such as Blender, Maya, and other generative pipelines. Brussee points out that when files are readable as plain text, the AI can parse and manipulate them directly, enabling a smoother exchange of assets across the development stack.
This openness contrasts with many proprietary engines that act as closed ecosystems, forcing developers into cumbersome conversion processes. The broader conversation around AI in games is polarized. Some commentators on platforms like LinkedIn hype “click‑to‑game” scenarios where a single prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience. Immens’s team tempers these expectations, emphasizing that AI should be viewed as a powerful tool rather than a magic wand.
Valient believes AI will make creators more capable, not replace them, and stresses the responsibility of the industry to wield the technology responsibly. Economic anxieties also linger, with many questioning whether the AI boom is a bubble. Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, noting that while countless startups vanished, the underlying internet persisted and flourished. “AI isn’t disappearing,” he says.
“The real test will be which companies build genuinely useful products. Our focus is on delivering a solid engine that lets developers dream bigger and work faster.” Funding for Immens remains modest at this stage.
The founders have secured “first commitments” but have not disclosed exact figures, describing the amount as “reasonable.” Brussee warns against excess capital, noting that too much money can breed complacency. The team deliberately remains lean—just the three founders and a handful of helpers—to stay scrappy and make decisive choices. Immens is currently developing a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a full editing workflow powered by generative AI, slated for release later this month. The timeline has already outpaced their original expectations; what was projected to take until year‑end is now arriving in half that time.
While the ultimate business model is still under discussion, Brussee hints that they admire Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” philosophy but will need to tailor it to their unique positioning. Ultimately, the trio hopes Immens will catalyze a new wave of creativity and risk‑taking in games. “We love games and want to see more daring, artistic expressions,” Brussee says.
“If our technology can help developers push the boundaries of what’s possible, that would be amazing.”