For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces behind game creation, powering roughly 70% of the titles released on Steam in 2025. While open‑source alternatives like Godot have made notable strides, the market still feels largely locked into the two giants, with a handful of studios opting for proprietary solutions such as Capcom’s RE Engine. In this landscape, three seasoned developers—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—believe there is still space for a fresh approach. Their startup, Immens, aims to introduce a new, AI‑enhanced engine that tackles the shortcomings of existing tools and offers a more affordable, agile workflow for smaller teams.
The trio’s résumés read like a who’s‑who of the industry: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Their combined background gives them a unique perspective on why the status quo may be ripe for disruption. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new engine because "the possibilities that AI‑assisted programming opens up didn’t exist a few years ago." He argues that with AI guidance, developers can start from a clean slate and assemble fully functional systems much more quickly than before.
Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI they employ is not the kind that merely generates content from prompts. Instead, the technology is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible. "AI can reason over large codebases and data sets," he says. "If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even solo developers or tiny studios can plug in custom features—like a bespoke particle system—without being confined to a limited scripting layer." This extensibility is meant to empower creators to iterate faster, leveraging AI as a helper rather than a replacement.
One of the core motivations behind Immens is the increasingly hostile economics of game development. Brussee describes the current climate as "rough," noting that production budgets are ballooning and the risk of failure is higher than ever. "We need new ways of working that cut costs and shrink team sizes while still delivering high‑quality experiences," he says. The goal is to break the cycle where developers pour massive resources into a project only to see marginal returns, jeopardizing both studios and individual livelihoods.
De Jong, the chief product officer, points out that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated. While this has created a solid foundation, he believes the industry now needs genuine innovation rather than incremental improvements. "The monolithic nature of current engines forces developers to adapt to rigid pipelines and proprietary file formats," he explains. "With AI, we can build an engine that bends to the developer’s needs, allowing them to swap components, add tools, and craft interfaces that match their workflow exactly." Flexibility is a recurring theme.
De Jong envisions a system where a developer can create tailor‑made tools—complete with personalized shortcuts, UI layouts, and feature sets—that align perfectly with a project’s requirements. This level of customization, he argues, is impossible with the one‑size‑fits‑all approach of many existing engines. Valient also acknowledges AI’s pitfalls. While the technology is "really powerful," it can veer off course if left unchecked.
Immens therefore places a strong emphasis on transparency and control: users can see exactly what the engine is doing, review its decision history, and ensure repeatable outcomes. This oversight is crucial when automating tasks that previously took weeks, such as generating a set of characters with specific traits. With AI assistance, a developer could prototype such assets over a coffee break and reuse the workflow as needed, dramatically lowering production costs.
Immens’ architecture deliberately avoids imposing a single workflow. De Jong stresses that teams can decide how much AI to integrate and where to apply it, provided the AI correctly interprets the underlying data. Open standards also play a pivotal role. By relying on text‑based file formats, the engine can interoperate seamlessly with tools like Blender, Maya, or any generative‑AI pipeline.
"When everything speaks the same language, you can plug in any software without fighting against proprietary barriers," Brussee notes. The broader industry reaction to AI in game development is mixed, with some critics warning of a future where entire games could be produced by a single prompt. Immens’ founders see this as an extreme scenario.
While they entertain the idea of "click‑to‑game" engines down the line, they view AI primarily as a productivity enhancer. "AI will make everyone better, not replace the creative process," Valient asserts.
He likens the current debate to the dot‑com bubble: the technology isn’t disappearing, but only the less viable ventures will fall away. Funding remains modest. Immens has secured its "first commitments" but has not disclosed exact figures, describing the amount as "reasonable." Brussee warns against over‑capitalization, noting that too much money can breed complacency. The company deliberately remains lean—just the three founders and a handful of helpers—to stay agile and focused on building a solid proof of concept.
That proof of concept aims to demonstrate a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow, with a demo slated for release this month. Development has already outpaced original timelines, with the team moving twice as fast as anticipated. As for the business model, Brussee admires Epic Games’ revenue‑share philosophy but admits it is too early to commit to a specific approach.
Ultimately, the Immens team hopes their engine will rekindle risk‑taking and artistic ambition in the industry. "We love games and want to see more creativity and daring projects," Brussee concludes. "If our technology can help developers push boundaries and deliver innovative experiences, that would be amazing."