Unity and Unreal have long held sway over the game‑development landscape, accounting for roughly 70% of Steam releases in 2025. While Godot has gained traction and some studios cling to proprietary tools—Capcom’s RE Engine being a notable example—most developers still gravitate toward the two giants, leaving little room for alternatives.
Enter Immens, a venture launched 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.
Together they argue that the market is not as saturated as it appears and that a fresh engine, built with modern AI capabilities, can address longstanding pain points. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee highlighted a timing advantage: “There’s an opportunity now to build a new engine that didn’t exist a couple of years ago.” He believes AI‑augmented programming can revive the notion of starting a project from a clean slate while still delivering full‑featured tools quickly.
The goal, he says, is to give developers a framework that accelerates creation without sacrificing control. Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI they employ is not the “prompt‑and‑receive” variety that dominates headlines. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible.
“If we design the codebase with AI in mind, even a solo developer can plug in a custom particle system or a bespoke gameplay mechanic without wrestling with opaque scripting layers,” he explains. The AI acts as a reasoning engine that can parse large codebases and data sets, suggesting extensions and automating repetitive tasks while keeping the developer in the driver’s seat. The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the current economic climate of game development.
Brussee describes the environment as “rough,” noting that production costs keep climbing and that many studios struggle to stay afloat. “We need new ways of working—more efficient pipelines that let smaller teams deliver high‑quality experiences on tighter budgets,” he says.
The trio envisions a future where AI‑enhanced tools cut down development time dramatically, allowing creators to iterate faster and reduce financial risk. De Jong, the chief product officer, points out that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated.
While this has provided a stable foundation, it also stifles innovation. “The industry faces a host of challenges, and simply repeating the same processes won’t solve them,” he asserts.
He criticizes the monolithic nature of existing engines, which force developers to adapt to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows. With AI, Immens aims to deliver a malleable engine that conforms to the user’s needs rather than the other way around.
Flexibility is a core design principle. De Jong envisions a system where developers can swap components, append new modules, or craft entirely custom tools tailored to their project’s unique demands. “I can build an interface with the exact shortcuts, features, and layout that my team requires, and the engine will accommodate it,” he says. This level of personalization is meant to empower creators to focus on creativity rather than wrestling with generic toolsets.
Valient acknowledges AI’s double‑edged nature. While it is “really powerful,” it can also produce unexpected results if left unchecked.
To mitigate this, Immens is built with transparency in mind: users can trace the AI’s decisions, view its history, and ensure repeatable outcomes. This oversight allows developers to harness AI for rapid prototyping—such as generating five characters with specific traits in minutes—while retaining full control over the final product. The engine’s architecture does not impose a single workflow. De Jong stresses that teams can decide how much AI to integrate and where it fits best in their pipeline.
Moreover, Immens embraces open standards, favoring text‑based file formats that any tool can read. “If you’re using Blender, Maya, or any generative asset pipeline, you can plug it straight into Immens because everything communicates through open, interoperable standards,” Brussee explains. This openness contrasts with many proprietary engines that act as closed ecosystems, hindering cross‑tool collaboration. Public sentiment toward AI in game development is mixed, with some commentators warning of a “click‑to‑game” future where entire experiences are conjured from a single prompt.
Immens’ founders see AI as a catalyst rather than a replacement. Valient believes AI will elevate the whole industry: “Big games and indie titles alike will benefit because AI makes everyone better.” He frames AI as a tool that, like any technology, can be misused, but also has the potential to unlock unprecedented creativity.
Economic concerns also surface, especially regarding the hype‑driven valuations surrounding AI startups. Valient draws a parallel with the dot‑com bubble, noting that while many companies will fail, the underlying technology endures. “AI isn’t going away; the internet didn’t disappear after the bubble burst,” he says.
Immens focuses on building a solid engine first, using AI to accelerate development and inspire bigger visions, regardless of market fluctuations. Funding remains modest.
Immens has secured “first commitments” but has not disclosed amounts, emphasizing that excessive capital can breed complacency. Brussee warns that too much money can make a startup lazy, whereas a lean operation forces scrappiness and disciplined decision‑making. The team currently consists of the three founders plus a handful of helpers, a size they consider optimal for iterating on a complex engine without overwhelming the process.
Immens is now targeting a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases AI‑driven editing workflows, slated for release later this month. The timeline has already outpaced their original estimates; what they expected to take until year‑end is now shaping up in half that time. This rapid progress underscores the efficiency gains they claim AI can deliver. Regarding business models, Brussee admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” approach but admits it’s too early to commit to a specific strategy.
Ultimately, the founders hope Immens will enable games that push artistic boundaries, encourage risk‑taking, and foster a new wave of innovation. “We love games and want to see more creativity,” Brussee concludes. “If our technology helps developers build bolder experiences, that would be amazing."