For 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 open‑source alternatives like Godot have gained traction, most large studios still cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a notable example—leaving the market seemingly locked into a duopoly. Enter Immens, a fledgling venture founded by three industry veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient. Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of game development, spanning Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple.
Together they argue that the current engine landscape is ripe for disruption and that a fresh, AI‑enhanced approach can address long‑standing pain points. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new engine because “the tools that didn’t exist a couple of years ago are now within reach thanks to AI‑supported programming.” He believes that, with intelligent assistance, developers can start building projects from a clean slate while still retaining tight control over the process, allowing functional features to emerge quickly. Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI they envision is not the typical “prompt‑to‑content” gimmick.
Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible. “AI can reason over large codebases and data sets,” he says.
“If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even a solo developer can add a custom particle system or a unique gameplay mechanic without being confined to a limited scripting layer.” This extensibility is meant to empower creators to iterate faster and tailor the engine to their specific needs. The motivation behind Immens is also economic. Brussee paints a bleak picture of the current market: “Making games is getting more expensive, and the risk to studios is growing.
We need new, more efficient ways to produce titles with smaller teams and tighter budgets.” De Jong echoes this sentiment, noting that the engine space has become overly standardized and consolidated. While standardization offers a solid foundation, the industry now demands innovation rather than incremental tweaks. A key criticism De Jong levels at existing engines is their monolithic nature. Developers are forced to adapt to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows.
By contrast, an AI‑aware engine could adapt to the developer, allowing interchangeable modules, custom tools, and personalized interfaces. “I should be able to build a toolset that matches my background, with the exact shortcuts and UI elements my team needs,” he explains. Valient acknowledges AI’s double‑edged sword: it is powerful but can “go off the rails” if left unchecked. Immens therefore emphasizes transparency and control.
Users will be able to see the engine’s decision history, ensuring repeatable results and the ability to craft bespoke utilities for specific tasks—such as generating five characters with a particular trait in minutes rather than weeks. Flexibility is a cornerstone of Immens’s design.
De Jong stresses that the framework does not impose a single workflow; developers decide how much AI to employ and where. The engine also leans on open standards, making it easy to exchange data with tools like Blender, Maya, or other generative pipelines. “When files are text‑based, any program can read them, and the AI can manipulate them,” Brussee notes.
This openness aims to avoid the isolation that many proprietary engines suffer from. The broader AI debate in game development is heated.
Some commentators hype “click‑to‑game” promises, suggesting entire open‑world experiences could be spawned from a single prompt. Immens’s team tempers such expectations, positioning AI as a tool that amplifies human creativity rather than replaces it. Valient says, “AI will make everyone better, but the games will still be crafted by people.” De Jong adds that responsible use is essential; any technology can be misused, but it’s up to the industry to steer it toward positive outcomes. Economic concerns also swirl around AI, with many fearing a speculative bubble.
Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, arguing that while some companies will fail, solid products survive. “AI isn’t disappearing; it’s here to stay. Our focus is building a great engine, and AI simply helps us move faster and think bigger,” he asserts. Funding remains modest.
Immens has secured its “first commitments,” but the founders have not disclosed amounts, describing them as “reasonable.” Brussee warns against excess capital, noting that too much money can breed complacency. The company deliberately stays lean—just the three founders and a handful of helpers—believing that a small, focused team can make decisive architectural choices without the overhead of a massive staff.
Timing is crucial. De Jong explains the delicate balance between having enough resources to seize the market window and avoiding the temptation to throw a large workforce at the problem. “Building an engine is complex; you can’t just hire a million people and expect instant results,” he says.
“You need a tight team that can iterate, learn, and adapt.” Immens is currently racing toward a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow, slated for release this month. The team is already moving twice as fast as their original roadmap projected, highlighting the efficiency gains they aim to deliver to users.
Regarding the business model, Brussee admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” philosophy but admits it’s too early to commit to a specific approach. Ultimately, the founders hope Immens will enable creators to push the medium forward, fostering more artistic risk‑taking and innovation.
“We love games and want to see more daring, expressive experiences,” Brussee concludes. “If our technology can help make that happen, that would be amazing."