For years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces behind most video game creation, accounting for roughly 70% of Steam releases in 2025. While open‑source options like Godot have gained traction and some studios such as Capcom rely on proprietary tools like the RE Engine, the market has largely been locked into the two big players. Against this backdrop, three seasoned developers—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—have launched Immens, a venture that aims to introduce a fresh, AI‑enhanced engine to the ecosystem. The founders bring a résumé that reads like a who’s‑who of the gaming world: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple.
In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee argued that the timing is ripe for a new engine, noting that “a few years ago the opportunity didn’t exist.” He believes AI‑assisted programming now makes it feasible to rebuild core tools from the ground up, offering developers a way to achieve full functionality quickly while retaining granular control. Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, stresses that their use of AI is not about generating assets through simple prompts.
Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible. He explains that a well‑designed system can let solo creators or small teams add custom features—such as a bespoke particle system—without being confined to limited scripting capabilities.
The goal is to let developers harness AI to accelerate extensions, not replace the creative process. The motivation behind Immens stems from the current economic pressures in game development.
Brussee describes the environment as “rough,” with production costs soaring and success becoming increasingly elusive. He asks whether the industry can discover new, more efficient workflows that lower budgets, shrink team sizes, and shorten timelines, thereby reducing the financial risk for studios and individuals alike.
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, he argues that the industry now needs genuine innovation rather than incremental tweaks. He criticizes the “monolithic approach” of existing engines, where developers must adapt to rigid file formats and workflows. With AI, Immens aims to deliver a flexible platform that molds itself to the user’s needs, allowing developers to swap, append, or modify components and even craft personalized tools with custom shortcuts, interfaces, and features.
Valient acknowledges AI’s power but also its volatility. He stresses that Immens will keep users in the driver’s seat, offering full transparency about what the engine does and why.
This traceability ensures repeatable results and lets creators build disposable, task‑specific tools—like a rapid character generator—that would have previously required weeks of manual effort. Such capabilities, he suggests, could turn what once cost thousands of dollars into a coffee‑break prototype. Flexibility is baked into Immens’ design philosophy. De Jong says the engine does not enforce a single workflow; developers decide how much AI to incorporate and where.
The architecture is deliberately open, supporting interoperability through text‑based, open‑standard file formats. Brussee notes that when files are human‑readable, any AI can parse and manipulate them, facilitating seamless integration with popular tools like Blender, Maya, or other generative pipelines. This openness contrasts with many proprietary engines that act as closed ecosystems, hindering smooth data exchange. The broader conversation about AI in game development is polarized.
Some commentators on LinkedIn hype “click‑to‑game” solutions that could produce Grand Theft Auto‑scale experiences from a single prompt. Immens’ team, however, views AI as a powerful assistant rather than a replacement. Valient believes AI will elevate the skill of creators across the spectrum, while De Jong reminds the industry that any technology can be misused, and it is the community’s responsibility to apply it ethically. Economic anxieties also linger.
Critics warn that AI‑focused startups may be part of a speculative bubble, with inflated valuations detached from real value. Valient counters that, like the dot‑com era, the underlying technology is unlikely to disappear; instead, weaker players will fall while robust products survive.
Immens is focused on building a high‑quality engine, using AI to accelerate development and expand creative horizons, regardless of market hype. Funding details remain vague. Immens has secured initial commitments but has not disclosed amounts, describing the capital sought as “reasonable.” Brussee cautions against excessive financing, noting that too much money can breed complacency and reduce the scrappy mindset essential for early‑stage innovation. The company remains lean—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers—by design.
De Jong explains that building an engine is a complex undertaking that does not benefit from a massive headcount; a small, focused team can make deliberate decisions and iterate efficiently. At the same time, they must balance resources to capture a narrow window of opportunity created by AI’s emergence. Immens is currently targeting a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow, slated for release within the month. Brussee notes that development has progressed twice as fast as initially projected, making timeline predictions difficult.
Regarding the business model, Brussee admires Epic Games’ “we succeed when you succeed” approach but admits it is too early to define Immens’ monetization strategy. Ultimately, he hopes the engine will empower creators to push artistic boundaries, take risks, and deliver innovative experiences that move the medium forward.
"We love games and want to see more creativity and risk‑taking," he says. "If our technology can help make that happen, that would be amazing."