For many years, Unity and Unreal have ruled the game‑development landscape, accounting for roughly seventy percent of all titles launched on Steam in 2025. While open‑source alternatives like Godot have begun to gain traction, and a handful of large studios still cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the duopoly of Unity and Unreal still dominates the market.
Enter Immersive Technologies, better known as Immens, founded by three seasoned veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient. Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of the industry, with stints at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. The trio believes there is still space for a fresh engine that addresses the shortcomings of the current offerings and leverages the latest advances in artificial intelligence. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new platform.
"A few years ago the idea of an AI‑assisted engine didn’t make sense, but today the technology has matured enough that we can start building something from the ground up again," he said. He emphasized that AI would not replace developers but would act as a catalyst, enabling rapid prototyping and functional completeness under tight guidance. Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarified that the company’s use of AI differs from the hype‑driven “prompt‑to‑asset” narrative that dominates headlines.
"Our AI is baked into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible," he noted. "Because AI can analyse massive codebases and data, we can design the core so that even a solo developer can add a custom particle system, a bespoke animation pipeline, or any other feature without wrestling with opaque scripting layers. The goal is to let creators extend the engine quickly and safely." The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the current economic climate of game development. Brussee described the market as "rough" and warned that production budgets are inflating at an unsustainable rate.
"Making a successful game is getting harder and more expensive," he said. "We need new workflows that shrink costs, let smaller teams move faster, and reduce the financial risk that threatens studios and individual creators alike." De Jong, the chief product officer, observed that the engine space has become overly standardized and consolidated. While this has provided a stable foundation, it also stifles innovation.
"The industry now faces a suite of challenges, and simply iterating on existing engines won’t solve them," he argued. "We need a paradigm shift—flexibility over monolith, adaptability over rigidity." One of the pain points De Jong highlighted is the "monolithic approach" of current engines, which force developers to conform to proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines.
With AI‑enhanced flexibility, Immens aims to let users shape the engine to their own needs. "You should be able to swap components, append new modules, or craft entirely custom tools that match your workflow," he explained. "Imagine a designer who can build a toolset tailored to their personal shortcuts, UI preferences, and project requirements—all without waiting for the engine vendor to implement those changes." Valient also warned that AI, while powerful, can misbehave if left unchecked. Immens therefore places control firmly in the hands of the developer.
"You always know what the engine is doing, you can audit its history, and you can reproduce results reliably," he said. This transparency, he argued, makes it possible to generate complex assets—like a set of five uniquely‑behaved characters—in the time it takes to sip a coffee, rather than spending weeks on manual iteration. Flexibility is baked into Immens’s core architecture.
De Jong stressed that the engine does not impose a single workflow; instead, it offers a scaffold that developers can adapt, deciding how much AI assistance they want and where to apply it. "The framework is deliberately open‑ended so you can decide your own process," he added. Interoperability is another cornerstone.
By adopting open, text‑based standards, Immens ensures that files can be read and manipulated by a variety of tools. "If a file is plain text, any program can parse it," Brussee explained.
This openness means that popular 3D packages like Blender or Maya, as well as generative‑AI tools, can plug directly into the engine without cumbersome conversion layers. The result is a smoother pipeline where assets flow freely between applications.
The broader AI debate in game development is polarized. Some pundits on LinkedIn hype the prospect of “click‑to‑game” experiences where a single prompt spawns a GTA‑style world.
Immens acknowledges that such extreme automation may one day be feasible, but they view AI primarily as an empowering tool rather than a replacement for human creativity. "AI will make everyone better, not replace them," Valient asserted. "It’s a disruptive technology, and that creates negative headlines, but the net effect will be positive if we use it responsibly." Economic concerns also loom.
Critics argue that AI‑focused startups are inflating a bubble with unrealistic valuations. Valient compared the situation to the dot‑com era, noting that while many companies will disappear, the underlying technology—just like the internet—will endure. "We’re not chasing hype; we’re building a solid engine that leverages AI to accelerate development and expand creative horizons," he said.
Funding remains modest. Immens has secured its "first commitments" but has not disclosed the exact amount, describing it as "reasonable." Brussee cautioned against over‑capitalisation, noting that excess cash can breed complacency. "Startups need to stay scrappy; too much money can make you lazy," he laughed. The team remains lean—just the three founders and a handful of helpers—by design.
De Jong explained that building an engine is a complex, iterative process that does not benefit from massive headcounts. "You need a small, focused group to make critical decisions and iterate quickly," he said. At the same time, they recognize a narrow window of opportunity created by AI’s rise, and they are balancing resources to hit that sweet spot before the market shifts again.
Immens is currently developing a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow. The team aims to release the demo within the month, a timeline that has already outpaced their original expectations. "We thought we’d need until the end of the year; we’re already twice as fast as anticipated," Brussee reported.
Regarding the business model, Immens is still exploring options. While they admire Epic Games’ philosophy of succeeding when their partners succeed, they admit it’s too early to lock in a specific revenue structure. Ultimately, the founders hope Immens will spark a new wave of creativity and risk‑taking in the industry.
"We love games and want to see more bold, artistic expressions," Brussee concluded. "If our technology can enable developers to push boundaries and innovate, that would be amazing."