Unity and Unreal have long held sway over the game‑development landscape, accounting for roughly 70% of Steam releases in 2025. While open‑source alternatives like Godot have gained traction, and a handful of studios still rely on proprietary solutions such as Capcom’s RE Engine, the market remains heavily concentrated around the two giants. Enter Immersive, a startup founded by three seasoned veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—who believe there is still room for a fresh engine and, more importantly, a better way to build games.
Their résumés read like a who's‑who of the industry: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Together they are setting out to challenge the status quo. 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 argues that AI‑assisted programming now makes it possible to start a project from a clean slate and achieve functional results much faster than traditional pipelines allow. “With guided, controllable AI you can build something that delivers full functionality quickly,” he said.
Valient, Immersive’s chief technology officer, stresses that their use of AI is not the flashy “prompt‑to‑content” approach that dominates headlines. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible. “AI can reason over large codebases and data sets,” he noted.
“If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even small teams or solo developers can add custom systems—like a bespoke particle effect—without being limited to a tiny scripting layer.” This philosophy aims to let creators extend the engine rapidly, leveraging AI as a productivity multiplier rather than a magical shortcut. The motivation behind Immersive’s project is the increasingly hostile economics of game development.
Brussee describes the current climate as “rough,” pointing out that production budgets keep inflating and the risk of failure grows accordingly. “We need new, more efficient ways of working so that smaller teams can deliver high‑quality games without jeopardising their studios,” he said. The founders see AI‑driven tooling as a way to break the costly cycle that has trapped many developers. De Jong, the chief product officer, observes that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated.
While this has produced a solid foundation, he argues the industry now needs genuine innovation. “Continuing to do exactly what we’ve always done isn’t enough,” he asserted. “We need a different approach, one that isn’t monolithic.” Current engines often force developers to conform to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows.
De Jong envisions an engine that adapts to the user instead of the other way around. “It must be flexible—allowing you to swap components, append new features, and build tools tailored to your exact workflow,” he explained.
He gave a personal example: creating a custom interface with shortcuts and features that match his team’s specific needs, something that is difficult to achieve in a closed system. Valient acknowledges that AI is powerful but can also veer off course if left unchecked. To mitigate this, Immersive is building transparency into the engine: users will always see what the AI is doing, its decision history, and can reproduce results reliably. This level of control, he says, turns AI into a dependable assistant rather than an unpredictable black box.
The team also stresses that Immersive is not trying to replace human creativity. Instead, AI should accelerate repetitive tasks—such as generating a set of characters with particular traits—so developers can focus on higher‑level design.
What once required weeks of manual work could, in the future, be prototyped over a coffee break, then refined or discarded as needed. This rapid iteration could dramatically lower development costs.
Flexibility is baked into the engine’s core. De Jong notes that Immersive does not impose a single workflow; developers decide how much AI to incorporate and where. The architecture is deliberately modular, allowing teams to plug in external tools like Blender, Maya, or other generative systems via open standards.
Brussee highlighted the advantage of text‑based file formats: “If the files are readable, the AI can manipulate them, and any software that understands the standard can interoperate seamlessly.” This openness aims to avoid the “weird outlier” problem where engines become isolated islands. There is a vocal backlash against AI in game development, often fueled by sensational claims that a single prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience.
Immersive acknowledges the hype but treats AI as a tool, not a replacement for skill. Valient believes that AI will ultimately make every developer better, even if the technology currently carries negative connotations due to its disruptive pace.
Economic concerns also swirl around the AI boom, with many fearing a bubble of over‑valued startups. Valient draws a parallel with the dot‑com era: “The internet didn’t disappear; the weak companies did.” He stresses that Immersive’s focus is on building a solid engine; AI simply helps them move faster and think bigger.
Whether the market is in a bubble remains uncertain, but the team is prepared for any outcome. Funding details remain vague. Immersive has secured its “first commitments” but has not disclosed amounts, describing the target as “reasonable.” Brussee warned that excess capital can breed complacency, noting that scrappy startups often innovate more effectively than well‑funded behemoths. The company remains tiny—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers—by design.
De Jong explains the trade‑off: a massive team won’t automatically solve the complex challenges of building an engine, yet a lean group can make decisive, focused progress. Timing is crucial; the next few years will see rapid AI integration across the industry, and Immersive aims to capture that window. Currently, Immersive is working toward a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow, slated for release this month. Brussee admits the timeline has already outpaced their original estimate, noting they are moving twice as fast as anticipated.
The business model is still forming. While they admire Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” licensing philosophy, Brussee says it’s too early to make concrete statements.
Ultimately, the founders hope their engine will empower creators to push the medium forward, fostering more risk‑taking, artistic expression, and innovation. “We love games and want to see more creativity,” Brussee concluded. “If our technology can help make that happen, that would be amazing.”