For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces in game development, accounting for roughly 70% of Steam releases projected for 2025. While open‑source options like Godot have gained traction and some studios such as Capcom rely on proprietary solutions like the RE Engine, the market has largely been a duopoly.
Into this landscape step three seasoned industry veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—who have founded Immens with the belief that a fresh, AI‑enhanced engine can still carve out space and improve the status quo. The trio’s résumés read like a who’s‑who of modern game development: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Their collective background gives them a unique perspective on the shortcomings of existing tools and the opportunities presented by recent advances in artificial intelligence.
In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new engine because "the capabilities that didn’t exist a couple of years ago are now within reach." He emphasized that AI‑assisted programming can revive the notion of building a game engine from the ground up, offering developers a high degree of guidance without sacrificing control. "With AI support, you can start from scratch again and still deliver full‑featured functionality quickly," he said.
Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarified that the company’s use of AI differs from the hype‑driven "prompt‑to‑content" narrative. Instead, Immens leverages AI to make the engine itself highly extensible.
"AI can reason about large codebases and data sets," he noted. "If we design the architecture with that in mind, even solo developers or tiny teams can plug in custom systems—like a bespoke particle effect—without being limited to superficial scripting." The motivation behind this ambitious project stems from the current economic pressures on game creators. Brussee described the market as "rough" and warned that development costs continue to climb, making it harder for studios to survive.
"We need new, more efficient ways of working that lower budgets and reduce risk for small teams," he argued. De Jong, Immens’ chief product officer, echoed this sentiment, pointing out that the engine space has become overly standardized and consolidated. While standardization provides a solid foundation, the industry now demands genuine innovation rather than incremental tweaks. A key criticism De Jong has of existing engines is their monolithic nature.
Developers are forced to conform to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows. With AI, Immens aims to flip that script, delivering an engine that adapts to the user’s needs. "Flexibility is essential," he said. "You should be able to swap components, append new features, and craft tools that match your personal workflow—down to the shortcuts, UI layout, and feature set you require." Valient acknowledged AI’s power but also its volatility.
"If you don’t monitor it, it can go off the rails quickly," he cautioned. To mitigate this, Immens is built to keep the user in the driver’s seat. Every AI‑generated action is logged, repeatable, and transparent, allowing developers to understand exactly how a tool arrived at a result.
This traceability is crucial when, for example, a designer needs to generate five characters with specific traits in minutes—a task that previously might have taken weeks of manual work. Immens’ architecture deliberately avoids imposing a single workflow.
De Jong stressed that the framework is modular, letting teams decide how much AI to incorporate and where. The engine also embraces open standards, ensuring seamless interoperability with popular tools like Blender, Maya, and other generative pipelines. "When files are text‑based, any software can read them," Brussee explained. "Our AI can parse those files, manipulate them, and communicate across the ecosystem, which has been a missing piece in many proprietary solutions." The broader conversation around AI in game development is polarized.
Some commentators on LinkedIn sensationalize the idea that a simple prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience, fueling fear of a "click‑to‑game" future. Immens’ founders see AI more modestly—as a powerful assistant rather than a replacement.
Valient believes AI will make developers better, not obsolete, and acknowledges the current negative perception because the technology is disrupting the industry at an unprecedented scale. Economic anxieties also linger, especially regarding the AI hype bubble.
Valient compared the situation to the dot‑com era, noting that while many companies will fail, the underlying technology persists. "AI isn’t disappearing; it’s evolving," he said. "Our focus is on building a solid engine that leverages AI to accelerate development and enable bigger creative dreams. Whether the market is in a bubble is uncertain, but history shows that useful technology outlives the hype." Funding remains modest.
Immens has secured its "first commitments" but has not disclosed amounts, describing the needed capital as "reasonable". Brussee warned that excess funding can breed complacency, preferring a scrappy, lean approach.
The company currently consists of the three founders plus a handful of helpers, intentionally keeping the team small to make agile decisions. Balancing team size with ambition is a delicate act. De Jong explained that building an engine is a complex, long‑term endeavor that cannot be rushed by hiring hundreds of engineers.
Yet there is a limited window of opportunity as AI reshapes the industry. The goal is to have enough resources to seize that moment without over‑inflating the operation. Immens is now targeting a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow, slated for release this month.
The timeline has already outpaced initial expectations; what was projected to take until year‑end is now arriving roughly twice as fast. While the business model is still under discussion, Brussee expressed admiration for Epic’s "we succeed when you succeed" licensing philosophy, though he cautioned that any definitive plan is premature.
Ultimately, the founders hope Immens will empower creators to push artistic boundaries, take risks, and deliver more innovative experiences. "We love games and want to see more daring, creative work," Brussee concluded. "If our technology can help make that happen, it would be amazing."