For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces behind most video game development, accounting for roughly 70% of all titles released on Steam in 2025. While open‑source alternatives like Godot have begun to attract attention and some large studios still rely on proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a notable example—the market has largely been a duopoly. Enter Immens, a new venture founded by three seasoned industry veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient.
Their résumés read like a who's‑who of game‑making powerhouses, featuring stints at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Together they argue that there is still room for a fresh engine that addresses the pain points that have built up around the existing giants. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new platform.
"A couple of years ago the idea of an AI‑augmented engine didn’t really exist," he said. "Now, with AI‑supported programming, we can start building from the ground up again while still keeping tight control and guidance over the process." Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarified that the AI they employ is not the kind of generative prompt‑engine that many people picture when they think of artificial intelligence. "We’re not trying to conjure assets with a single sentence," he noted.
"Our AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible. Because AI can reason over large amounts of data and source code, we can design the engine so that even a solo developer or a small team can add custom systems—like a bespoke particle effect—without being confined to a limited scripting sandbox." The motivation behind this ambitious project is the increasingly hostile economic climate for game creators. Brussee described the current state as "rough," pointing out that development budgets keep inflating while the risk of failure grows.
"We need new ways of working that lower costs, shrink team sizes, and accelerate timelines," he argued. "If we can make the process more efficient, studios won’t have to gamble their entire livelihood on a single title." De Jong, the chief product officer, observed that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated. While this has produced a stable foundation, he believes the industry now needs genuine innovation rather than more of the same. "The monolithic nature of existing engines forces developers to adapt to rigid file formats and workflows," he said.
"With AI, we can flip that script and let the engine adapt to the developer’s needs." Flexibility is at the heart of Immens’ philosophy. De Jong envisions a system where users can swap components, append new modules, or rewrite tools to match their personal workflows.
"Imagine being able to craft an interface that mirrors your own habits—exact shortcuts, specific panels, the whole workflow—so that the engine feels like an extension of you," he explained. Valient also warned that AI, while powerful, can behave unpredictably if left unchecked. To counter this, Immens is built to keep the user in the driver’s seat. Every AI‑generated action is logged, reproducible, and fully transparent, allowing developers to audit and repeat processes as needed.
This level of control, he argues, turns what could be a black‑box into a reliable collaborator. The team illustrated this with a practical example: creating five characters with a particular trait used to require weeks of manual work. With the AI‑enhanced tools, a designer could sketch the concept over coffee, generate the assets in minutes, and then discard the temporary workflow once the job is done.
This on‑demand, disposable tooling dramatically reduces cost and time. Immens also champions open standards. By relying on text‑based file formats, the engine can read and write data that other tools—such as Blender, Maya, or any generative pipeline—understand. "When everything speaks a common language, integration becomes trivial," Brussee said.
"The AI can parse those files, manipulate them, and feed the results back into the engine without a proprietary bottleneck." There is, however, a vocal backlash against AI in game development. Some commentators on platforms like LinkedIn hype the notion that a single prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience, stoking fears of a "click‑to‑game" future. Immens’ founders acknowledge that such extremes are unlikely.
Valient emphasizes that AI should be viewed as a tool that amplifies human creativity, not a replacement for it. "The technology will make everyone better, but the heart of a game will always be the people making it," he said. Economic anxieties also swirl around the AI boom, with critics warning of a valuation bubble. Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, noting that while many startups vanished, the underlying internet survived and thrived.
"AI isn’t disappearing; it’s evolving. Our goal is to build a solid engine that stands on its own merits, with AI simply accelerating our development cadence," he remarked. Funding remains modest at this stage.
Immens has secured its "first commitments" but has not disclosed exact figures, describing the amount as "reasonable." Brussee cautions against over‑capitalization, noting that excess cash can breed complacency. "Startups need to stay scrappy," he laughed, adding that a lean team of three founders plus a handful of helpers is intentional. Balancing team size with ambition is a delicate act. De Jong explains that creating a sophisticated engine cannot be achieved by throwing a million engineers at the problem; it requires a focused, iterative approach.
Yet there is a narrow window of opportunity as AI reshapes the industry, and Immens aims to seize it before the market settles. The company is currently targeting a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a full editing workflow powered by generative AI, slated for release later this month.
Brussee admits that the timeline has moved faster than expected—what was projected to take until year‑end is now on track within months. Regarding the business model, Immens admires Epic Games’ philosophy of sharing success with developers but admits it is too early to declare a definitive strategy. Ultimately, Brussee hopes the engine will enable creators to push the boundaries of interactive art.
"We love games and we love risk‑taking," he said. "If our technology can help people build more innovative, daring experiences, that would be amazing."