For years, Unity and Unreal have been the de‑facto platforms for video‑game creation, powering roughly 70 % of the titles that landed on Steam in 2025. While Godot has gained traction and some studios cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a notable example—the market has largely been a duopoly.
Yet three seasoned developers, Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient, have founded Immens with the conviction that a fresh engine can still carve out space and improve the status quo. The trio’s 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 expertise gives them a unique perspective on why the current generation of engines, despite their power, may be holding developers back. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee argued that the moment is ripe for a new tool that simply didn’t exist a few years ago.
"With AI‑assisted programming, we can start building from scratch again," he said. "With the right guidance and control, you can achieve full functionality quickly." Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI they employ isn’t the sort of prompt‑to‑output magic that dominates headlines.
Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible. "AI can reason over massive codebases and data sets," he explained.
"If we design the engine with that in mind, even a solo developer can extend it beyond simple scripting. Want a custom particle system? Just add it. The AI helps you do that faster." The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the harsh economics of modern game development.
Brussee describes the landscape as "rough"—production costs are soaring, and small studios face ever‑greater financial risk. "We need new ways of working that lower budgets and shrink team sizes without sacrificing quality," he said.
De Jong, the chief product officer, echoes this sentiment, noting that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated. While that consolidation has provided a solid foundation, it also stifles innovation. "The industry needs a different approach, not more of the same," he asserted.
Current engines often impose a monolithic workflow: developers must conform to proprietary file formats and toolchains. De Jong envisions an engine that bends to the creator’s needs instead of the other way around.
"Flexibility is key. You should be able to swap components, append new ones, and craft bespoke tools that match your personal workflow," he said. He gave a concrete example of building a custom interface with shortcuts tailored to his team's specific tasks, illustrating how the engine can be molded to fit any project. Valient is quick to acknowledge AI’s pitfalls.
While it is "really powerful," unchecked AI can veer off course. Immens therefore places the user firmly in the driver’s seat: every AI‑generated action is logged, reproducible, and fully transparent. This control enables developers to create one‑off tools for niche problems—like generating five characters with a unique trait in minutes—then discard them, a process that would previously have taken weeks of manual labor.
Flexibility extends to the degree of AI involvement. De Jong stresses that Immens does not force a particular workflow or AI quota on its users. "You decide how much AI you want and where you apply it," he said. The engine also embraces open standards, allowing seamless interoperability with existing software such as Blender, Maya, or any generative‑art tool.
"When files are text‑based, any program can read them," Brussee explained. "That openness lets AI parse and manipulate assets across the pipeline, something closed‑source engines have struggled with." The broader conversation around AI in game development is polarized.
Some pundits on LinkedIn hype "click‑to‑game" scenarios where a single prompt spawns a GTA‑level experience. Immens’ founders temper those expectations, viewing AI as a powerful assistant 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 anxieties also swirl, with many questioning whether AI‑focused startups are riding a bubble.
Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, noting that while many companies vanished, the underlying technology— the internet—persisted. "We’re building a solid engine; AI simply accelerates our development and expands what we can imagine," he said. Whether the market is overheated remains uncertain, but the team is focused on delivering value rather than chasing hype.
Funding is still in its early stages. Immens has secured its "first commitments" but has not disclosed amounts, describing the target as "reasonable." Brussee warns against excess capital, noting that too much money can breed complacency. The company remains intentionally lean: the three founders plus a handful of helpers. This small, agile team allows rapid decision‑making, which is crucial given the narrow window of opportunity they see as AI reshapes the industry.
Immens is currently developing a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow. The team aimed to have a working prototype by year‑end, but they are already two‑fold ahead of schedule, planning to release the demo within the month. Timeline estimates are fluid, reflecting the experimental nature of the project. Regarding the business model, Brussee admires Epic Games’ philosophy of sharing success with developers but admits it’s too early to cement a pricing strategy.
Ultimately, the founders hope Immens will empower creators to push artistic boundaries, take risks, and inject fresh innovation into games. "We love games and want to see more daring, creative experiences," Brussee concluded.
"If our technology can help make that happen, it would be amazing."