For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces behind the majority of games released on platforms like Steam, accounting for roughly seventy percent of titles in 2025. While open‑source alternatives such as Godot have begun to gain traction, most large studios still lean on proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example. This duopoly has left the market feeling almost closed off. Enter Immersive, a startup founded by three seasoned industry veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient.
Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of game development, 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, especially one built with modern AI capabilities at its core. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new engine because “the tools that existed a couple of years ago simply aren’t enough anymore.” He believes AI‑assisted programming can revive the notion of building a game engine from the ground up, offering developers a way to achieve full‑featured functionality quickly while maintaining tight oversight.
Valient, Immersive’s chief technology officer, is careful to distinguish their approach from the hype‑driven “prompt‑to‑asset” narrative that dominates many AI conversations. He says the AI embedded in Immersive is designed to make the engine itself highly extensible.
“AI can reason about large codebases and data sets,” he notes. “If we architect the engine with that capability in mind, even solo developers or tiny teams can plug in custom systems—like a bespoke particle renderer—without being confined to a limited scripting layer.” This philosophy aims to let creators extend the engine at a deeper level, accelerating iteration while preserving creative control. The motivation behind this AI‑centric engine is also economic. Brussee paints a bleak picture of the current market: development costs are soaring, budgets are ballooning, and the risk of failure is higher than ever.
“We need new ways of working that cut costs and let smaller teams deliver high‑quality experiences faster,” he says. The goal is to break the cycle of ever‑larger teams and longer timelines that threaten the viability of independent studios. De Jong, Immersive’s chief product officer, observes that the engine space has become overly standardized and consolidated.
While this has given developers a reliable foundation, it also stifles innovation. “The industry is facing a suite of challenges, and simply repeating the same processes won’t solve them,” he argues.
“What we need now is genuine innovation, not more of the same.” One of the pain points De Jong highlights is the monolithic nature of existing engines. Developers often have to adapt to proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines. With AI, Immersive envisions an engine that molds itself to the developer’s workflow.
“Flexibility is key,” he explains. “You should be able to swap components, append new features, or craft entirely custom tools that match your personal shortcuts, UI preferences, and project requirements.” Valient acknowledges AI’s power but also its volatility. He stresses that Immersive is being built so users remain fully aware of what the engine is doing at every step.
“You can see the history of each operation, ensuring repeatability and giving you the option to create throw‑away tools for specific tasks—like generating five unique characters in minutes rather than weeks.” This level of transparency, he believes, mitigates the risk of AI “going off the rails.” Flexibility extends to workflow choices as well. De Jong insists that Immersive does not impose a single development paradigm. “You decide how much AI to incorporate and where,” he says. “Our architecture is deliberately open so you can pick the tools and processes that suit you best, as long as the AI interprets your instructions correctly.” Interoperability is another cornerstone of the platform.
By relying on open, text‑based standards, Immersive aims to play nicely with the broader ecosystem of tools such as Blender, Maya, and other generative pipelines. “When files are human‑readable, any software can parse them,” Brussee notes. “That means you can plug in external applications without fighting proprietary barriers, creating a smoother, smarter pipeline.” The broader conversation around AI in game development is polarized.
Some commentators on LinkedIn predict a future where a single prompt can spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale world, fueling fears of a “click‑to‑game” apocalypse. Immersive’s team, however, views AI as a powerful assistant rather than a replacement for craftsmanship. Valient says, “AI will make everyone better, but the games will still be made by people who care about the experience.” De Jong adds that responsible, productive use of AI is an industry duty, emphasizing that any tool can be misused if not handled ethically. Economic anxieties also linger, particularly concerns that AI‑driven startups are part of a speculative bubble.
Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, noting that while many companies vanished, the underlying technology— the internet—persisted and flourished. “We’re focused on building a solid engine; AI simply accelerates our vision,” he says. Whether the market is in a bubble remains uncertain, but Immersive is intent on delivering tangible value regardless.
Funding details are still under wraps. The founders have secured “first commitments,” but they deliberately keep the exact amount vague, describing it as “reasonable.” Brussee warns against excessive capital, noting that too much money can breed complacency. “Startups need to stay scrappy,” he jokes.
Immersive remains a lean operation—just the three founders and a handful of helpers. This small size is strategic; building a game engine is a complex undertaking that doesn’t scale linearly with headcount. De Jong explains the balancing act: “You need a focused team to make thoughtful decisions, but you also need enough resources to hit the market window created by AI’s rise.” The team is currently developing a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow, slated for release later this month. Brussee admits the timeline has already outpaced their original expectations: “We aimed for an end‑of‑year milestone, and we’re already twice as fast.” As for the business model, Immersive is still exploring options.
While they admire Epic Games’ “we succeed when you succeed” licensing approach, they consider it premature to make definitive statements. Ultimately, the founders hope their engine will empower creators to push the medium forward, fostering more artistic risk‑taking and innovation. “We love games and want to see them evolve,” Brussee concludes.
“If our technology can help spark that evolution, it would be amazing."