For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the go‑to platforms for game creators, accounting for roughly 70% of all Steam releases projected for 2025. While open‑source options like Godot have gained traction and some studios continue to rely on proprietary tools such as Capcom’s RE Engine, the market has largely been a duopoly dominated by the two giants. Enter Immens, a startup founded by three seasoned veterans – Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient – who believe there is still space for a fresh engine that tackles the shortcomings of the status quo.
Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of the industry: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, Apple, and other high‑profile studios. Together they aim to challenge the entrenched players with a platform built around artificial intelligence. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new engine because “the tools that would have made sense a few years ago simply don’t exist any more.” He argues that AI‑assisted programming now enables developers to start from a clean slate and assemble functional systems much more quickly than before. "With a lot of guidance and control, you can build something that delivers full functionality fast," he said.
Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI they employ is not about generating assets from a single prompt. Instead, it is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible. "AI can reason over large amounts of data and code," he notes.
"If we design the engine with that in mind, even solo developers or tiny teams can plug in custom features – say a bespoke particle system – without being confined to a limited scripting layer. The AI helps them extend the engine more rapidly." The motivation behind this AI‑centric approach stems from the current economic pressures on game development.
Brussee describes the climate as "rough," emphasizing that production costs keep climbing, making it harder for studios to stay solvent. He asks whether new workflows can break the cycle of ever‑increasing budgets and larger teams.
The goal, he says, is to enable creators to deliver games faster, with fewer people and smaller financial risk. De Jong, Immens’ chief product officer, observes that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated. While this has given developers a reliable foundation, it also stifles innovation.
"Continuing to do things exactly as we have in the past won’t solve the challenges we face today," he argues. "What we need now is genuine innovation, not just more of the same." A key criticism of existing engines is their monolithic nature. Developers must conform to proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines, which can limit creativity.
De Jong envisions an engine that bends to the user’s needs, allowing interchangeable modules, custom tools, and personalized interfaces. "I can build a toolset that matches my workflow down to the shortcuts and UI layout," he says, "so my team can work exactly the way we want." Valient also warns that AI, while powerful, can misbehave if left unchecked. Immens therefore places control firmly in the hands of the user: the engine logs its actions, provides a clear history, and ensures repeatability.
This transparency lets developers create disposable, task‑specific tools – for example, generating five uniquely‑traited characters in minutes instead of weeks – without sacrificing oversight. Flexibility is baked into Immens’ design. The platform does not dictate a single workflow; users decide how much AI to incorporate and where. De Jong stresses that the underlying architecture must be robust enough to interpret AI instructions correctly, otherwise the benefits evaporate.
Interoperability is another priority. By adopting open, text‑based standards, Immens can communicate with popular tools such as Blender, Maya, or any generative‑AI system. "When files are readable as plain text, any program can parse them," Brussee explains.
"That opens the door to smarter interfaces across the entire development stack, something proprietary engines have historically resisted." The broader industry conversation about AI is mixed. Some commentators hype "click‑to‑game" scenarios where a single prompt spawns a Grand Theft Auto‑style world. Immens’ founders see AI more modestly, as an accelerator rather than a replacement. Valient believes AI will make developers better, not eliminate the craft.
De Jong adds that, like any tool, AI can be misused, but the responsibility lies with creators to apply it ethically. Economic anxieties also swirl around AI, with fears of a valuation bubble. Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era: the internet didn’t disappear, even though many early companies failed. He argues that solid technology and useful products will survive, and Immens is focused on building a genuinely good engine.
Whether the AI market is a bubble remains uncertain, but the team is prepared for any outcome. Funding details are still vague. Immens has secured its "first commitments" but has not disclosed amounts, describing the target as "reasonable." Brussee cautions against excessive capital, noting that too much money can breed complacency.
The company remains lean – just the three founders plus a handful of helpers – to stay scrappy and agile. Scaling an engine is a complex task that cannot be solved by hiring a massive staff. De Jong explains the need for a small, focused team to make deliberate decisions and iterate thoughtfully. At the same time, they must act quickly to capture the window of opportunity presented by AI’s rise.
Immens is currently developing a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow, slated for release later this month. The timeline has already outpaced their original estimate: what they thought would take until year‑end is now arriving in half that time.
Regarding the business model, Brussee admires Epic’s "we succeed when you succeed" philosophy but admits it’s too early to lock in a specific approach. Ultimately, the team hopes their engine will empower creators to push artistic boundaries, take risks, and deliver innovative experiences.
"We love games and want to see more creativity and risk‑taking," Brussee says. "If our technology can help make that happen, that would be amazing."