For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces in game development, accounting for roughly 70% of all titles launched on Steam in 2025. While open‑source alternatives like Godot have gained traction, the market still largely favors proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a notable example—leaving Unity and Unreal with a near‑monopoly on engine usage. Enter Immens, a fledgling venture founded by three industry veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient. Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of game‑making powerhouses, spanning Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple.
The trio believes there is still room for a fresh engine, one that corrects the shortcomings of the current giants. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee argued that “the opportunity exists now to build an engine that simply didn’t exist a couple of years ago.” He points to AI‑assisted programming as the catalyst that can let developers start from scratch again, offering “full functionality quickly while still keeping a high degree of guidance and control.” Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarifies that their AI is not about generating content through vague prompts.
Instead, it is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible. “AI can reason over large codebases and data sets,” he explains. “If we design the engine with that in mind, even solo developers or tiny teams can plug in custom systems—like a bespoke particle system—without being confined to a limited scripting layer.” This approach aims to let creators extend the engine faster, using AI as an accelerator rather than a magic wand. The motivation behind Immens’s AI‑centric engine stems from the grim reality of today’s game market.
Brussee describes it as “rough,” noting that development costs keep climbing, making it harder for small studios to survive. “We need new, more efficient ways of working,” he says.
“If we can lower budgets, reduce team sizes, and shorten timelines, we can protect studios from existential risk.” De Jong, the chief product officer, observes that the engine landscape has become overly standardized and consolidated. While this has provided a solid foundation, it also stifles innovation. “The industry faces a host of challenges, and simply repeating the old formula won’t cut it,” he asserts.
“We need innovation, not more standardisation.” A key criticism De Jong levels at existing engines is their monolithic nature. Developers must conform to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows. With AI, Immens aims to flip that script, delivering an engine that adapts to the developer’s needs. “Flexibility is essential,” he says.
“You should be able to swap components, append new features, and craft tools that match your personal workflow—down to the exact shortcuts, UI layout, and feature set you require.” Valient acknowledges AI’s power but also its volatility. “If you’re not careful, it can go off the rails quickly,” he warns. Immens therefore emphasizes transparency and control: users can see exactly what the engine is doing, trace its decision history, and ensure repeatable results.
This level of oversight allows creators to build bespoke tools for specific problems—like generating five characters with a unique trait—in a fraction of the time previously required. “What used to take weeks can now be prototyped over a coffee break,” Valient notes, highlighting the dramatic productivity boost.
The engine’s design deliberately avoids imposing a single workflow. De Jong stresses that the framework is modular, letting teams decide how much AI to incorporate and where.
“We must also guarantee that the AI interprets instructions correctly,” he adds, underscoring the need for reliable, understandable AI behavior. Interoperability is another pillar of Immens’s philosophy. By embracing open, text‑based standards, the engine can seamlessly exchange data with tools like Blender, Maya, or any generative‑AI pipeline. “When files are human‑readable, any software can parse them,” Brussee explains.
“Open standards let us build smarter interfaces that communicate across the entire development stack, something proprietary engines have struggled with.” The broader industry reaction to AI is mixed, with some commentators predicting a future where a single prompt can spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience. Immens’s founders see that as an extreme scenario. While they acknowledge the possibility of “click‑to‑game” tools down the line, they view AI primarily as a powerful assistant, not a replacement for human creativity. “AI will make everyone better, not do the work for them,” Valient says, noting the current negative perception stems from AI’s disruptive pace.
Economic concerns also swirl around AI, with fears of an inflated bubble. Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era: “The internet didn’t disappear; many over‑hyped companies fell, but the technology endured.” Immens aims to build a solid engine first, using AI to accelerate development and enable bigger dreams, regardless of market hype. Funding remains modest. Immens has secured its “first commitments,” but the founders keep the exact amount vague, describing it as “reasonable.” Brussee cautions against excess capital, noting that too much money can breed complacency.
The team remains lean—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers—by design, believing that a small, focused group can make decisive architectural choices without the overhead of a massive staff. Balancing speed and resources is a constant challenge. De Jong explains that building an engine is a complex undertaking that cannot be solved by simply throwing a million developers at the problem.
Instead, a tight, iterative team can navigate the many trade‑offs and hit the narrow window of opportunity presented by AI’s rise. Immens is currently targeting a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow, slated for release this month.
The timeline has already outpaced their original expectations; what was projected to take until year‑end is now arriving roughly twice as fast. Brussee admits that predicting exact milestones remains difficult in such a fast‑moving space. The business model is still under discussion. While Immens admires Epic Games’ “we succeed when you succeed” licensing approach, they consider it premature to make concrete statements.
Ultimately, the founders hope their engine will empower creators to push artistic boundaries, take risks, and deliver innovative experiences. “We love games and want to see more daring, creative work,” Brussee concludes.
“If our technology can help make that happen, it would be amazing."