For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces in game creation, accounting for roughly 70% of all titles launched on Steam in 2025. While Godot has made notable strides recently and some large studios cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the market has largely been monopolized by the two giants.
Against this backdrop, three seasoned industry veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—have launched Immens, a fresh game engine built around artificial intelligence, convinced that there is still room for innovation and competition. The founders bring an impressive résumé: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new engine because the technological landscape has shifted dramatically in just a few years.
“With AI‑assisted programming, we can start building from the ground up again,” he said. “Guided by intelligent tools, developers can achieve full functionality much faster than before.” Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarified that the AI embedded in their platform is not about generating content through simple prompts. Instead, it focuses on making the engine itself highly extensible. “AI can analyse massive codebases and data structures,” he noted.
“If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even solo developers or small teams can add custom systems—like a bespoke particle engine—without being limited to basic scripting. The AI helps them extend the core quickly and safely.” The motivation for this AI‑centric approach stems from the current state of the games market, which Brussee describes as “rough.” Development costs keep climbing, making it increasingly difficult for creators to break even. “We need new, more efficient workflows that lower budgets and shrink team sizes while still delivering high‑quality experiences,” he argued.
“Otherwise studios risk their livelihoods on ever‑escalating expenses.” De Jong, Immens’s chief product officer, observed that the engine landscape has become overly standardized and consolidated. While this has provided a solid foundation, he believes the industry now requires genuine innovation rather than incremental improvements.
“We’re at a point where the old, monolithic engines force developers to adapt to rigid, proprietary file formats,” he explained. “Our vision is an engine that bends to the developer’s needs, not the other way around.” Flexibility is a core tenet of Immens. De Jong envisions a system where users can swap components, append new modules, and craft tailor‑made tools that match their personal workflows.
“Imagine being able to design an interface with exactly the shortcuts, features, and layout that your team requires,” he said. “That level of customisation is what we aim to provide.” Valient also warned that AI, while powerful, can become unpredictable if left unchecked.
To mitigate this, Immens is built to keep developers in full control of the engine’s actions, offering transparent histories and repeatable processes. This oversight enables rapid prototyping—such as generating five uniquely‑behaving characters in minutes rather than weeks—while still allowing the resulting tools to be discarded after use, dramatically cutting costs. The architecture of Immens deliberately avoids imposing a single workflow. De Jong stressed that teams can decide how much AI to incorporate and where it fits into their pipeline.
“The framework is open enough that you can choose the degree of automation you want, provided the AI correctly understands the context.” Interoperability is another priority. By relying on open, text‑based standards, Immens can communicate seamlessly with popular tools like Blender, Maya, or any generative‑AI system.
Brussee highlighted that when files are readable as plain text, any AI can parse and manipulate them, fostering smarter interfaces across the entire development stack. This openness contrasts sharply with many existing engines, which often act as closed ecosystems that hinder integration.
Despite a wave of skepticism surrounding AI in game creation—some commentators even claiming that future developers could conjure GTA‑scale worlds with a single prompt—the Immens team treats AI as a facilitator rather than a replacement. Valient believes AI will elevate the entire industry, making both blockbuster and indie projects better.
“Any tool can be misused,” he said, “but it’s our responsibility to steer it toward productive, ethical applications.” Economic anxieties also swirl around the AI boom, with critics warning of a speculative bubble. Valient compared the situation to the dot‑com era, noting that while many startups will fail, the underlying technology endures. “AI isn’t disappearing; it’s becoming the backbone of faster, more ambitious development,” he argued.
“Our focus is on building a solid engine first; AI simply accelerates that process.” Funding remains modest. Immens has secured its “first commitments” but has not disclosed exact figures, describing the amount as “reasonable.” Brussee cautioned against excess capital, suggesting that too much money can breed complacency.
The company remains a lean operation—just the three founders and a handful of helpers—by design, believing that a small, focused team can make critical decisions more efficiently than a massive workforce. Timing is crucial.
De Jong explained that while creating an engine is inherently complex, a compact team can iterate quickly and seize the current window of opportunity created by AI’s rapid adoption. Immens is currently developing a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow, slated for release later this month. The team already hit milestones twice as fast as initially projected, underscoring the speed gains they claim AI can deliver. 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 revenue structure.
Ultimately, the founders hope Immens will empower creators to push the artistic and technical boundaries of games. “We love games and want to see more risk‑taking and creativity,” Brussee concluded. “If our technology can help bring more innovative experiences to life, that would be amazing."