For years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces in game development, accounting for roughly 70% of all titles released on Steam in 2025. While open‑source alternatives like Godot have gained traction, and a handful of large studios continue to rely on proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the market has largely been locked into the duopoly of Unity and Unreal. Enter Immers, a fledgling engine built by three industry veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient.
Their résumés read like a checklist of the biggest names in gaming: Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Together they argue that there is still room for a fresh engine, and that the next generation of tools should be smarter, more flexible, and cheaper to run. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new platform because “the technology that didn’t exist a couple of years ago is finally available.” He highlighted AI‑assisted programming as a catalyst that could let developers start building from a clean slate again, providing “full functionality fast under a great deal of guidance and control.” Valient, who serves as Immers’ chief technology officer, clarified that the AI they are integrating is not the typical “prompt‑to‑content” hype that floods the sector. Instead, the AI is embedded in the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible.
“If we design the engine with AI reasoning in mind, even a solo developer can add a custom particle system or a brand‑new gameplay mechanic without wrestling with opaque scripting layers,” he said. The aim is to let creators extend the engine quickly, using AI as an accelerator rather than a replacement for thoughtful engineering. The motivation behind this ambitious project stems from the increasingly grim economics of game development.
Brussee described the current climate as “rough,” noting that production budgets are ballooning and the risk of failure is climbing. “We need new ways of working that lower costs, let smaller teams ship faster, and reduce the financial jeopardy that comes with a big‑budget gamble,” he argued.
De Jong, Immers’ chief product officer, pointed out that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated. While this has given developers a solid foundation, it also stifles innovation. “The industry faces a host of challenges, and simply iterating on the same monolithic engines won’t solve them,” he said.
“We need a different approach—one that embraces flexibility and modularity.” Current engines, according to De Jong, often force developers into a monolithic workflow, complete with proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines. With AI, Immers intends to flip that script: the engine should adapt to the developer, not the other way around. “It must be extremely flexible—allowing you to swap, append, or modify components and to build bespoke tools that match your exact workflow, shortcuts, and UI preferences,” he explained.
Valient acknowledges that AI, while powerful, can also behave unpredictably if left unchecked. To counteract this, Immers is being built with transparency and control at its core. Users will be able to trace the AI’s decisions, understand its history, and ensure that any generated content is repeatable and reliable. This level of oversight, he believes, will keep the creative process both fast and accountable.
One of the most compelling promises of the platform is the ability to prototype complex tasks in minutes instead of weeks. For instance, generating five unique characters with specific traits could be as simple as describing them over a coffee, with the engine producing usable assets on the fly. Previously, such a workflow would have required extensive manual labor and a substantial budget.
Flexibility is baked into Immers’ architecture. The team refuses to impose a single workflow or a fixed amount of AI usage on developers. “It’s up to you how much AI you want to lean on and where,” says De Jong.
“Our job is to provide a framework that can accommodate any style of development, from fully hand‑crafted pipelines to AI‑heavy shortcuts.” Interoperability is another priority. By adopting open standards and text‑based file formats, Immers aims to play nicely with existing tools like Blender, Maya, and other generative applications. “If a file is plain text, any program can read it,” Brussee noted. This openness should make it easier for studios to integrate the engine into their current pipelines without the usual friction caused by proprietary formats.
The broader AI conversation in gaming is polarized. Some commentators on LinkedIn have sensationalized the idea that a single prompt could produce a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience. Immers’ founders temper that hype, insisting that AI should be viewed as a tool that amplifies human creativity, not a replacement for it.
“Big games and everything in between will be made better because AI makes us all more capable,” Valient said, acknowledging the current negative perception but emphasizing its potential to democratize high‑quality production. Economic concerns also linger, especially regarding the possibility of an AI bubble. Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, noting that while many startups vanished, the internet itself persisted and flourished. He argues that Immers is focused on building a solid engine first; AI simply accelerates development and unlocks more ambitious visions.
Whether the market is in a bubble remains uncertain, but the team believes that a quality product will survive regardless. Funding for Immers is still in its early stages. The founders have secured “first commitments” but have not disclosed the amount, describing it as “reasonable.” Brussee cautions against excessive capital, warning that abundant funds can lead to complacency. “Startups need to stay scrappy; too much money can make you lazy,” he laughed.
The company remains a lean operation—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers. This intentional small size reflects a belief that a massive team does not equate to faster engine development. De Jong explains that building a sophisticated engine requires careful decision‑making and iterative progress, which is more manageable with a focused group.
At the same time, they are mindful of a limited window of opportunity created by the rapid AI advancements and shifting industry expectations. Immers is currently racing toward a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a complete editing workflow powered by generative AI. The goal is to release this demo within the month. Brussee notes that the timeline has already outpaced their original projection: “When we started in April, we thought we’d be at the end of the year.
We’re already twice as fast as expected.” The business model is still under discussion. While Immers admires Epic’s revenue‑share philosophy—where the platform succeeds when its users succeed—they admit it’s too early to commit to a specific approach.
Ultimately, the founders hope that Immers will enable developers to push the artistic and technical boundaries of games. “We love games and the complex artistic expression they represent,” Brussee concluded.
“We want to see more creativity, more risk‑taking, and more innovation built on technology like ours. If we can help make that happen, it would be amazing."