For years, Unity and Unreal have been the go‑to tools for game creators, accounting for roughly seventy percent of all Steam releases projected for 2025. While Godot has made notable strides recently and some studios cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the market has largely been monopolised by the two giants.
Yet three seasoned industry veterans, Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient, see a gap they believe they can fill. Their new venture, Immersive (Immens), is set to launch an AI‑enhanced game engine that promises to reshape how games are built. The founders bring a résumé that reads like a who's‑who of modern game development: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee argued that the timing is ripe for a fresh engine, noting that “a few years ago this simply didn’t exist.” He believes that AI‑assisted programming now allows developers to start from scratch again, delivering full‑featured tools much more quickly than traditional pipelines.
Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI they are integrating is not the “prompt‑to‑art” variety that dominates headlines. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible. "AI can reason about massive codebases and data sets," he explains. "If we design the core with that capability in mind, even a solo developer can plug in a custom particle system or a bespoke gameplay mechanic without being limited to a handful of scripts.
The AI acts as an accelerator for extension, not a replacement for creative work." The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the current economic climate of game development. Brussee describes the environment as "rough" and increasingly unaffordable. Development budgets are ballooning, making it harder for small studios to survive.
"We need new ways of working that lower cost and shrink team size while maintaining speed and quality," he says. The trio believes AI can help break the costly cycle that threatens the livelihood of many studios. De Jong, the chief product officer, points out that the engine market has become overly standardised and consolidated.
While this has provided a stable foundation, it also stifles innovation. "The industry now faces a host of challenges, and simply repeating past methods won’t solve them," he asserts.
"We need a different approach—one that embraces flexibility rather than imposing a monolithic workflow." Current engines often force developers to adapt to proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines. De Jong envisions an engine that moulds itself to the user’s needs. "You should be able to swap components, append new tools, and customise the interface to match your exact workflow," he says.
"Imagine building a toolset that mirrors your personal habits, shortcuts, and project requirements—this is the kind of freedom we aim to provide." Valient acknowledges that AI is a double‑edged sword. While it is "really powerful," it can also behave unpredictably if left unchecked. Immens therefore emphasizes transparency and control: users can see the engine’s decision history, ensuring repeatable results and the ability to roll back unwanted changes. This level of oversight, he argues, turns AI from a mysterious black box into a reliable assistant.
The flexibility of Immens extends to how much AI a developer chooses to employ. De Jong stresses that the framework will not dictate a single workflow; instead, it will accommodate varying degrees of AI integration. "You decide where AI fits into your pipeline, and we make sure the underlying architecture can understand and respect those choices," he notes. Interoperability is another cornerstone of Immens’ design.
By adopting open, text‑based standards, the engine can communicate seamlessly with tools like Blender, Maya, or any generative‑AI system. "When files are human‑readable, the AI can parse and manipulate them directly," Brussee explains. This openness counters the “closed‑off” nature of many existing engines, which often act as barriers rather than bridges between different software ecosystems. The broader AI debate in game development is heated, with some commentators warning of a future where entire experiences could be generated from a single prompt.
Immens’ team acknowledges the hype but frames AI as a "tool" rather than a replacement for human creativity. Valient believes AI will elevate the craft: "Big games and indie titles alike will benefit because AI makes everyone better." Economic concerns also linger, especially the fear of an AI bubble.
Valient draws parallels to the dot‑com era, noting that while many companies will fall, the underlying technology endures. "AI isn’t disappearing; it’s evolving. Our goal is to build a solid engine that leverages AI to accelerate development, not to chase speculative valuations," he says.
Funding remains modest. Immens has secured its "first commitments" but has not disclosed amounts, describing the target as "reasonable." Brussee warns against excess capital, suggesting that too much money can breed complacency.
The company remains lean—just the three founders and a handful of helpers—by design, believing that a small, focused team can iterate faster and make clearer decisions. Immens is currently racing toward a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases AI‑driven editing workflows. Originally slated for year‑end delivery, the team reports they are already moving twice as fast as anticipated. While the exact business model is still under discussion, Brussee admires Epic’s revenue‑share philosophy but says it’s too early to commit to a specific approach.
Ultimately, the founders hope Immens will empower creators to take bigger creative risks. "We love games and want to see more daring, artistic expressions," Brussee concludes. "If our technology can help developers push boundaries and innovate, that would be amazing."