For years, the game‑development landscape has been dominated by the heavyweight engines Unity and Unreal, which together powered roughly 70 % of all Steam releases projected for 2025. While open‑source alternatives such as Godot have begun to attract attention and a few large publishers still rely on proprietary tools like Capcom’s RE Engine, the market has largely settled into a duopoly that many developers view as entrenched and inflexible.
Enter Immens, the brainchild of three industry veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—who believe there is still room for a fresh, more adaptable engine. Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of game‑tech history, spanning Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. United by a shared conviction that the status quo can be improved, they set out to build a platform that leverages artificial intelligence not as a gimmick, but as a structural advantage.
In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right: "There’s an opportunity now to build a new engine that didn’t exist a couple of years ago. With AI‑supported programming, you can start building things from scratch again, under a lot of guidance and control, and you can get full functionality quickly." He emphasizes that the AI component is meant to accelerate development rather than replace human creativity.
Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarifies that their approach to AI differs from the hype‑driven “prompt‑to‑asset” narrative that dominates many discussions. "The AI in Immens is about constructing the engine in a way that is truly extensible," he says. "AI can reason over massive codebases and data sets. If we design the architecture with that capability in mind, even small teams or solo developers can plug in custom systems—like a bespoke particle effect—without being limited to superficial scripting.
We want people to use AI to extend the engine faster and more robustly." The motivation behind this AI‑centric engine is rooted in the harsh economic realities of modern game development. Brussee describes the current climate as "rough," noting that production budgets keep inflating while the risk of failure grows. "It’s getting ever more expensive to make games.
We need new ways of working that cut costs, shrink team sizes, and speed up pipelines, so studios aren’t gambling their livelihoods on a single title," he argues. De Jong, the chief product officer, points out that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated. While that consolidation has provided a solid technical foundation, it also stifles innovation. "We’re at a point where the industry faces multiple challenges, and simply repeating the old methods won’t cut it.
We need genuine innovation, not more of the same," he asserts. One of the pain points De Jong highlights is the monolithic nature of existing engines.
Developers often have to conform to rigid workflows, proprietary file formats, and fixed toolchains. By contrast, Immens aims to be a chameleon‑like platform that bends to the user’s needs. "It needs to be very flexible. You can swap components, append new modules, modify existing ones, and even build your own tools with the exact shortcuts, interfaces, and features your project demands," he explains.
Valient acknowledges AI’s power but also its volatility. "AI is really powerful, but it can go off the rails quickly if you’re not paying attention," he warns. Immens therefore embeds transparency and control into its core: developers can see exactly what the engine is doing, review its decision history, and ensure repeatable outcomes.
This level of oversight makes it possible to create disposable, highly specialized tools for tasks that previously took weeks. "Imagine dreaming up five characters with a specific trait while sipping coffee, then using a custom tool to generate them instantly—that’s the kind of workflow we want to enable," Valient says.
Flexibility is baked into the architecture. The engine does not enforce a single workflow; instead, it provides a scaffold that developers can shape. "It’s up to you how you want to use it, and how much AI you want to incorporate at each stage," De Jong notes. The team also stresses the importance of open standards.
By relying on text‑based, interoperable file formats, Immens can seamlessly communicate with popular tools like Blender, Maya, or any generative‑AI pipeline. "When files are open and readable, the AI can manipulate them directly, creating a smarter interface across the whole toolchain," Brussee adds. The broader industry reaction to AI in game development is mixed. Some commentators sensationalize the technology, claiming that a single prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience.
Immens’ founders temper such expectations, viewing AI as a powerful assistant rather than an autonomous creator. "Click‑to‑game engines might be possible someday, but for now AI is a tool that makes every developer better," says Valient. He acknowledges the current negative connotations but believes responsible use will demonstrate AI’s value. Economic concerns also surface, particularly the fear of an AI bubble.
Valient draws a parallel with the dot‑com era, noting that while many startups failed, the underlying internet technology persisted and flourished. "AI isn’t disappearing. Some companies will fall, but the good products and solid technology will survive. We’re focused on building a great engine; AI simply accelerates our vision," he explains.
Funding remains modest. Immens has secured its "first commitments" but has not disclosed amounts, describing the capital as "reasonable". Brussee cautions against over‑funding, noting that excess cash can breed complacency.
"Startups need to stay scrappy; too much money can make you lazy," he jokes. The team remains intentionally small—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers—because building an engine is a complex, iterative endeavor that benefits from tight coordination. De Jong describes the balancing act: a lean crew can make thoughtful decisions, yet enough resources are needed to capture the fleeting 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 later this month. The timeline has already outpaced original expectations; what was projected to take until year‑end is now arriving in half that time.
Brussee admits that predicting milestones is tricky when the technology moves so quickly. Finally, the founders are still shaping their business model. While they admire Epic Games’ philosophy of “we succeed when you succeed,” they consider it premature to lock in a specific revenue strategy. Their ultimate goal, according to Brussee, is to empower creators to push the medium forward: "We love games, we love complex artistic expression, and we want to see more risk‑taking and innovation.
If our tech can help make that happen, that would be amazing."