For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces in game development, accounting for roughly 70% of the titles released on Steam in 2025. While open‑source options like Godot have gained traction and large studios continue to rely on proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the market has largely been a duopoly. Into this landscape step three seasoned industry veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—who have founded Immens with the belief that there is still room for a fresh engine and, more importantly, for a better way to build games.
The founders’ résumés read like a who’s‑who of modern game development: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, Apple, and other high‑profile studios. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new engine because the tools that existed just a few years ago no longer meet the needs of today’s developers. He argues that AI‑assisted programming now makes it possible to start from a clean slate and assemble functional, full‑featured systems much more rapidly than before.
Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI component is not about generating assets with a single prompt, as is often portrayed in popular discourse. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible. "If we design the engine with AI in mind, smaller teams or even solo developers can plug in custom features—like a bespoke particle system—without being limited to a narrow scripting layer," he says. This approach aims to let creators extend the engine quickly, leveraging AI’s ability to understand and manipulate large codebases.
One of the driving forces behind Immens is the increasingly hostile economics of game development. Brussee describes the current climate as "rough," noting that production costs keep climbing, making it harder for studios to stay afloat. He asks whether new workflows can break this cycle, enabling developers to produce games faster, with fewer people, and on tighter budgets, thereby reducing the existential risk to studios and their staff.
De Jong, the chief product officer, points out that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated. While this has provided a solid foundation, he believes the industry now needs genuine innovation rather than more of the same.
He criticizes existing engines for their monolithic nature, which forces developers to conform to proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines. With AI, De Jong envisions an engine that adapts to the developer’s workflow, allowing interchangeable components, custom tools, and personalized shortcuts tailored to each project’s unique demands. Valient acknowledges AI’s power but also its volatility. "AI can go off the rails quickly if you’re not vigilant," he warns.
Immens therefore places control firmly in the user’s hands: developers can see exactly what the engine is doing, trace its decision history, and ensure repeatable results. This transparency makes it possible to create disposable, highly specialized tools—for example, a quick script that generates five characters with specific traits—without the massive time investment traditionally required. Flexibility is a core design principle for Immens.
De Jong stresses that the engine does not impose a single workflow; users decide how much AI to incorporate and where. The architecture is built to accommodate open standards, meaning that text‑based files can be read and edited by any compatible software. "If you’re using Blender, Maya, or any generative tool, you can plug it in because everything communicates through open formats," Brussee explains. This openness contrasts with many engines that act as closed ecosystems, hindering interoperability.
The broader conversation about AI in game development is often polarized. Some commentators hype the idea of "click‑to‑game" engines that could conjure a GTA‑level experience from a single prompt.
Immens’s team sees AI as a powerful assistant rather than a magical shortcut. Valient believes AI will elevate the entire industry, making creators more capable, while acknowledging the current negative perception due to the disruptive scale of the technology. Economic concerns also swirl around AI, with many fearing a bubble of overvalued startups.
Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, noting that while many companies vanished, the underlying internet persisted and flourished. He argues that Immens is focused on building a genuinely useful engine; AI simply accelerates development and expands creative horizons. Whether the market is in a bubble remains uncertain, but the team is committed to delivering value regardless of broader hype cycles. Funding details are still under wraps.
Immens has secured its first round of commitments but has not disclosed amounts, describing the capital they seek as "reasonable." Brussee cautions against excessive funding, suggesting that too much money can lead to complacency and a loss of the scrappy mindset needed for a startup. The company remains deliberately lean—just the three founders and a handful of helpers. De Jong explains that building an engine is a complex, iterative process that cannot be rushed by throwing a large team at it.
Instead, a focused group can make thoughtful decisions and iterate efficiently, aiming to capture a narrow window of opportunity created by AI’s rise. Immens is currently developing a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow. The team expected this to take until the end of the year, but they are already delivering it ahead of schedule, effectively doubling their projected speed. While timelines remain fluid, the rapid progress suggests the AI‑centric approach is paying off.
Regarding the business model, Brussee admires Epic’s "we succeed when you succeed" philosophy but admits it is too early to commit to a specific revenue structure. Ultimately, the founders hope Immens will empower creators to push the boundaries of interactive art, fostering more creativity, risk‑taking, and innovation in games. "We love games and want to see the medium evolve," Brussee says.
"If our technology helps bring more daring, expressive experiences to life, that would be amazing."