For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces in game development, accounting for roughly 70% of all titles launched on Steam in 2025. While Godot has enjoyed a surge in popularity lately and some large studios still lean 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 Immersive, a fledgling startup founded by three industry veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient. Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of game tech, featuring stints at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple.
Together they argue that the current engine landscape still has room for a fresh contender that can address the shortcomings of today’s tools. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new engine because “the possibilities that didn’t exist a few years ago are finally within reach.” He believes AI‑assisted programming can give developers the confidence to start projects from a clean slate and achieve full‑featured results much more quickly than before.
Valient, Immersive’s chief technology officer, clarifies that the company’s use of AI is not about generating assets through vague prompts. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible. “AI can reason over large codebases and data sets,” he says.
“If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even solo developers or tiny teams can plug in custom systems—like a bespoke particle effect—without being limited to a handful of scripted tweaks.” This approach aims to let creators extend the engine at a pace that matches their imagination. The motivation behind Immersive’s AI‑powered engine stems from the grim reality of today’s game market. Brussee describes the environment as “rough,” noting that development costs keep climbing, making it harder for studios to break even. He asks whether the industry can discover new, more efficient workflows that lower budgets, shrink team sizes, and accelerate timelines, thereby reducing the financial risk that threatens many studios.
De Jong, the chief product officer, points out that while the engine market has become standardized and consolidated—providing a solid foundation—it now needs genuine innovation rather than more of the same. He criticizes the “monolithic approach” of existing engines, which force developers to conform to proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines.
With AI, Immersive envisions an engine that molds itself to the user’s needs, offering interchangeable components, custom tools, and personalized interfaces that match each developer’s workflow. Valient acknowledges AI’s double‑edged nature. Although the technology is “really powerful,” it can quickly go off‑track if left unchecked.
To mitigate this, Immersive is building safeguards so that users retain full visibility and control over the engine’s actions, including a complete history of changes. This transparency ensures repeatable results and allows developers to craft disposable tools for specific tasks—like generating five characters with a unique trait—without incurring massive costs. Flexibility is a core tenet of Immersive’s design philosophy. De Jong stresses that the engine does not impose a single workflow; instead, it provides a modular architecture that lets teams decide how much AI to incorporate and where.
The goal is to let the AI understand the developer’s intent correctly while preserving creative freedom. Interoperability is another priority. By adopting open, text‑based standards, Immersive ensures that files can be read and manipulated by any compatible software.
Brussee explains that this openness enables seamless integration with tools like Blender, Maya, or other generative pipelines, eliminating the “weird outlier” problem where engines act as closed ecosystems. Open standards, he argues, pave the way for smarter interfaces across the entire production stack. The broader industry reaction to AI in game development is mixed, with some commentators warning of a future where a simple prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience.
Immersive’s team acknowledges the hype but insists their vision is for AI to serve as an empowering tool rather than a “click‑to‑game” button. Valient believes AI will elevate the quality of both blockbuster titles and indie projects by making creators more capable.
Economic concerns also linger. Critics worry that AI‑focused startups are caught up in a valuation bubble.
Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, noting that while many companies vanished, the underlying internet persisted and thrived. He argues that Immersive’s focus is on building a genuinely good engine; AI merely accelerates development and expands creative horizons.
Whether the market is in a bubble remains uncertain, but the team remains confident in their product’s long‑term value. Funding details are still vague. Immersive has secured its “first commitments” but has not disclosed amounts, describing the needed capital as “reasonable.” Brussee warns against over‑funding, noting that excessive cash can breed complacency, whereas limited resources keep a startup scrappy and focused. The company remains lean—just the three founders and a handful of helpers—by design.
De Jong explains that building an engine is a complex undertaking that cannot be rushed by throwing a large team at it. A small, dedicated group can make thoughtful decisions and iterate efficiently, especially given the narrow window of opportunity presented by the AI wave.
Currently, Immersive is developing a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow. The team aims to release this demo within the month, having already accelerated their timeline from an expected year‑end launch to roughly half that time. Regarding the business model, Brussee admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” approach but admits it’s too early to commit to a specific revenue strategy. Ultimately, he hopes Immersive’s engine will empower developers to push the medium forward, fostering more creativity, risk‑taking, and artistic expression.
As he puts it, “We love games. We want to see more innovation built on technology like this. That would be amazing.”