For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces in game creation, together powering roughly 70% of all Steam releases projected for 2025. While open‑source alternatives like Godot have made notable strides, and a handful of studios cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the market has largely settled into a duopoly.
Against this backdrop, three seasoned industry veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—have launched Immersive Technologies, or Immens, with the conviction that a fresh engine can still carve out a niche and improve the status quo. The founders’ résumés read like a roll‑call of gaming’s elite: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Their combined expertise fuels a belief that the current engine landscape is ripe for disruption. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right: “A few years ago, the idea of building a new engine from scratch seemed impossible.
With AI‑assisted programming, we can finally start over and deliver full‑featured tools much faster.” Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI they employ is not the typical "prompt‑to‑output" model that dominates headlines. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible. "AI can reason over massive codebases and data sets," he said. "If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even solo developers or tiny teams can add custom systems—like a bespoke particle renderer—without being constrained to a limited scripting layer." This approach aims to let creators extend the engine swiftly, using AI as a productivity accelerator rather than a magical shortcut.
The motivation behind Immens is also economic. Brussee describes the current climate as "rough," noting that game development costs are spiraling upward, making financial success increasingly elusive. "We need new workflows that lower expenses and enable smaller teams to ship high‑quality experiences quickly," he argued.
De Jong, the chief product officer, echoed this sentiment, observing that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated. While that consolidation provides a stable foundation, it also stifles innovation. "The industry faces numerous challenges, and simply repeating past practices won’t solve them.
We need genuine innovation, not more standardisation," he asserted. One of De Jong’s critiques of existing engines is their monolithic nature.
Developers often must conform to proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines, limiting flexibility. With AI‑driven adaptability, Immens aspires to become an engine that molds itself to the developer’s needs. "Flexibility is key," he explained. "You should be able to swap components, append new ones, and craft tools that match your personal workflow—down to the exact shortcuts and UI layout you prefer." Valient acknowledges AI’s power but also its volatility.
"If you’re not vigilant, the system can go off the rails quickly," he warned. To mitigate this, Immens is built to keep users in full control, providing transparent histories of AI actions so that outcomes are repeatable and auditable. This transparency enables developers to create disposable tools for specific tasks—like generating five uniquely‑traited characters in minutes rather than weeks—without committing to costly, permanent pipelines.
Immens deliberately avoids imposing a single workflow. De Jong stresses that the framework and architecture are designed to let users decide how much AI to incorporate and where.
The engine also embraces open standards, ensuring seamless interoperability with common tools such as Blender, Maya, and other generative software. "When files are text‑based, any program can read them," Brussee noted. "That openness lets AI parse and manipulate assets across the entire toolchain, something many proprietary engines still struggle with." The broader AI debate in game development is polarized. Some commentators hype "click‑to‑game" scenarios where a simple prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience, fueling fear and backlash.
Immens’ team sees AI more modestly—as a powerful assistant rather than a replacement. Valient believes AI will make developers better, not obsolete, while De Jong stresses responsible usage: "Any tool can be misused; it’s our duty to guide it toward positive outcomes." Economic anxieties also linger, with many questioning whether AI‑focused startups are part of a speculative bubble.
Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, noting that while many companies vanished, the underlying technology— the internet—persisted and flourished. "We’re focused on building a solid engine; AI simply accelerates our development and expands what we can imagine.
Whether it’s a bubble is uncertain, but history shows the tech itself endures," he said. Funding remains modest. Immens has secured its "first commitments" but has not disclosed amounts, describing them as "reasonable." Brussee cautions against excess capital, warning that abundant cash can breed complacency.
The company remains a lean operation, comprising the three founders and a handful of collaborators. This intentional small size allows for agile decision‑making and prevents the pitfalls of over‑staffing a complex project.
Immens is now targeting a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow, slated for release within the month. The timeline has already outpaced initial expectations—what was projected to take until year‑end is now arriving in half that time. Brussee hints that while they admire Epic’s "we succeed when you succeed" licensing model, any final business model is still under consideration.
Ultimately, the trio hopes Immens will empower creators to push the medium forward. "We love games and want to see more daring, artistic expression," Brussee concluded. "If our technology can lower barriers and inspire risk‑taking, that would be amazing for the industry."