For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces in game development, accounting for roughly seventy percent of the titles launched on Steam in 2025. While open‑source alternatives such as Godot have gained traction and some studios continue to rely on proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a notable example—the market has largely been monopolised by the two giants. Enter Immens, a start‑up founded by three seasoned veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong and Michal Valient.
Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of the industry, with experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. The trio believes there is still space for a fresh engine that can address the shortcomings of the current landscape.
In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee argued that the timing is ripe for a new platform, noting that “a few years ago the kind of engine we envision didn’t exist.” He sees artificial intelligence as the catalyst that makes it possible to start from a clean slate and deliver a fully functional system much faster than traditional, hand‑coded pipelines. Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI they employ is not the “prompt‑to‑image” hype that dominates headlines.
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 explains.
“If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even a solo developer can plug in a custom particle system or a bespoke gameplay mechanic without wrestling with opaque scripting layers.” This approach aims to give creators the freedom to augment the engine quickly, using AI as an accelerator rather than a replacement for thoughtful engineering. The motivation behind Immens’s AI‑centric design is the increasingly hostile economics of game production. Brussee describes the current climate as “rough,” pointing out that development costs continue to climb, making it harder for small teams to survive. “We need new ways of working that cut expenses, shrink team sizes, and speed up delivery,” he says.
The goal is to break the cycle that forces studios to risk everything on ever‑larger budgets. De Jong, the chief product officer, observes that the engine market has entered a phase of “standardisation and consolidation.” While this has provided a solid foundation, he argues that the industry now requires genuine innovation.
“Continuing to do things the same way isn’t enough,” he asserts. “We need a different paradigm—one that is flexible, modular, and responsive to each developer’s unique workflow.” A key criticism of existing engines is their monolithic nature.
Developers often have to conform to proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines. De Jong envisions an engine that adapts to the user, allowing interchangeable components, custom toolchains, and personalised interfaces.
“I can build tools that match exactly the shortcuts, features, and UI that my team needs,” he says, illustrating how a modular design can empower creators rather than constrain them. Valient also cautions that AI, while powerful, can “go off the rails” if left unchecked. Immens therefore places control firmly in the hands of the user: the engine logs its actions, provides repeatable histories, and lets developers understand precisely what the AI is doing.
This transparency is intended to keep the creative process trustworthy and manageable. The flexibility of Immens extends to its workflow philosophy. De Jong stresses that the engine does not impose a single way of working; instead, it offers a framework that can be shaped by the developer.
“You decide how much AI to incorporate and where,” he notes, while also emphasizing the need for the AI to interpret instructions correctly. Interoperability is another cornerstone of the platform. By embracing open, text‑based standards, Immens aims to play nicely with tools such as Blender, Maya, and other generative pipelines. Brussee explains that when files are human‑readable, any AI can parse and manipulate them, enabling seamless integration across the development stack.
This contrasts with many current engines, which act as “weird outliers” that resist open standards. The broader conversation about AI in games is often charged with fear and hype. Some commentators on LinkedIn predict a future where a single prompt can generate a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience. Immens’s team acknowledges the excitement but treats AI as a “tool,” not a magic button.
Valient believes AI will make developers better, even if the technology currently carries negative connotations due to its disruptive potential. Economic concerns also loom large.
Critics warn that the AI boom could be a bubble with inflated valuations. Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, noting that while many companies vanished, the underlying internet survived and flourished. He argues that Immens is focused on building a solid engine; AI simply accelerates their vision.
Whether the market is in a bubble remains uncertain, but the team is prepared for any outcome. Funding for Immens is still in an early stage. The founders have secured “first commitments” but have not disclosed amounts, describing the needed capital as “reasonable.” Brussee warns against over‑funding, which can breed complacency. “Too much money can make a startup lazy; you need to stay scrappy,” he laughs.
The company remains intentionally lean: the three founders plus a handful of helpers. De Jong explains that building a complex engine does not require a massive workforce; a small, focused team can make deliberate decisions and iterate efficiently. However, they must also balance this with the need to seize the current 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 aims to release this demo within the month, having accelerated their timeline dramatically—what was initially projected to take until year‑end is now expected in half that time. Regarding the business model, Brussee admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” approach but admits it is too early to commit to a specific revenue strategy.
The overarching ambition remains to empower creators, lower barriers, and ultimately push the medium forward. In his closing remarks, Brussee emphasizes a love for games as artistic expressions and a desire to see more risk‑taking and creativity in the industry. “If our technology can help build games that innovate and inspire, that would be amazing,” he says, encapsulating the team’s mission to blend AI’s speed with human imagination for a brighter, more accessible future in game development.