For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the go‑to tools for video‑game creators, accounting for roughly 70 % of the titles that appeared on Steam in 2025. While open‑source alternatives such as Godot have gained traction, and a handful of studios continue to rely on proprietary solutions like Capcom’s RE Engine, the market has largely been a duopoly dominated by the two giants. Enter Immens, a startup founded by three seasoned industry veterans – Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient.
Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of game‑development powerhouses: Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Together they argue that the current engine landscape still leaves room for innovation and that a new, AI‑enhanced engine could address long‑standing pain points.
In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right: “A few years ago the idea of building a fresh engine from the ground up seemed unrealistic. With AI‑assisted programming, we can start over and deliver full‑featured tools much faster than before.” He stresses that the AI they employ is not about generating content from a single prompt, but about constructing an engine architecture that is inherently extensible.
Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, elaborates: “Our AI isn’t a magic wand that conjures assets. It’s a reasoning engine that understands large codebases and data structures. By designing the engine with that capability in mind, even solo developers or tiny teams can plug in custom systems—say, a bespoke particle effect—without being confined to a limited scripting layer.” This approach, he says, empowers creators to iterate rapidly and tailor the engine to their exact needs.
The motivation behind Immens is also economic. Brussee describes the current climate as “rough”: development budgets keep inflating, and the risk of financial ruin for small studios is high. “We need new workflows that cut costs, shrink team sizes, and shorten timelines,” he says. De Jong, the chief product officer, adds that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated.
While that stability provides a solid foundation, it also stifles the kind of breakthrough thinking the industry now requires. One of the frustrations De Jong cites is the monolithic nature of existing engines. Developers must adapt to rigid, proprietary file formats and workflows that often feel imposed rather than chosen. With AI, Immens aims to flip that script: the engine should adapt to the developer, not the other way around.
“Flexibility is key,” he notes. “You should be able to swap modules, append new tools, and craft interfaces that match your personal workflow—down to the shortcuts you prefer.” Valient acknowledges AI’s double‑edged sword. While it can accelerate development dramatically, it can also produce erratic results if left unchecked. “We’re building Immens so that the user stays in the driver’s seat,” he says.
“You can see exactly what the AI is doing, review its history, and reproduce results reliably. Think of a tool that can generate five uniquely‑behaved characters in the time it used to take weeks, then discard it after a handful of uses. That level of on‑demand, disposable tooling was prohibitively expensive before.” Immens is deliberately engineered to avoid forcing a single workflow on its users.
De Jong emphasizes that the framework is modular: “You decide how much AI you want, where you want it, and how you integrate it with your pipeline.” To facilitate seamless collaboration with other software, Immens adopts open standards and text‑based file formats. “If a file is readable as plain text, any tool—Blender, Maya, or a generative model—can ingest it,” Brussee explains.
This openness contrasts with many engines that act as closed ecosystems, hindering interoperability. The broader conversation around AI in game development is heated. Some commentators predict a future where entire AAA experiences can be conjured with a single prompt, a notion that fuels both excitement and fear. Immens’ founders see AI as a powerful assistant rather than a replacement.
Valient says, “Big games will still be made by people, but AI will make everyone better at their craft.” De Jong adds a note of responsibility: “Any technology can be misused; it’s up to us to apply it ethically.” Economic anxieties also surface, especially concerns that AI‑focused startups are riding a speculative bubble. Valient draws a parallel with the dot‑com era, noting that while many companies vanished, the underlying internet endured. “We’re not chasing hype; we’re building a solid engine that leverages AI to speed up iteration and enable bigger dreams.
Whether the market is a bubble is unknown, but we’re focused on delivering real value.” Funding remains modest. Immens has secured its “first commitments” but has not disclosed amounts, describing the target as “reasonable.” Brussee warns against excess capital: “Too much money can make a startup complacent; scrappiness drives innovation.” The team remains lean—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers—by design. De Jong explains the trade‑off: “You can’t throw a million engineers at an engine and expect miracles. A small, focused group can make deliberate decisions, but you also need enough resources to hit the narrow window of opportunity that AI is creating.” A proof‑of‑concept demo showcasing generative‑AI‑driven editing workflows is slated for release this month, marking a significant milestone.
The timeline has already outpaced initial expectations; what was projected to take until year‑end is now arriving in half that time. When asked about the business model, Brussee mentions admiration for Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” philosophy but admits it’s too early for concrete plans. Ultimately, the founders hope Immens will catalyze a new wave of creativity and risk‑taking in games. “We love games as an art form and want to see more daring projects,” Brussee says.
“If our technology can lower barriers and let developers experiment more freely, that would be amazing.”