For years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces behind the majority of games released on platforms like Steam, accounting for roughly 70 % of titles in 2025. While open‑source alternatives such as Godot have begun to gain traction, most large studios still lean on proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a notable example.
In this landscape, the market for game engines appears largely closed off. Enter Immens, a fledgling venture founded by three seasoned industry veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient. Their résumés read like a who's‑who of modern game development, featuring stints at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple.
The trio believes there is still room for a fresh engine that can address the shortcomings of the current offerings. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee argued that the timing is ripe for a new platform, noting that "the opportunity didn’t exist a couple of years ago." He emphasized that AI‑assisted programming now makes it feasible to rebuild core tools from the ground up while retaining tight guidance and control. According to him, this approach can deliver full‑featured functionality far more quickly than traditional development pipelines.
Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI component is not about generating content through vague prompts. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible.
"AI can reason about large codebases and data sets," he explains. "If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even solo developers or small teams can add custom systems—like a bespoke particle system—without being limited to superficial scripting. The AI acts as an accelerator for extension, not a replacement for thoughtful engineering." The motivation behind Immens is also rooted in the current economic pressures of game development. Brussee describes the market as "rough," pointing out that production costs are spiraling upward, making it increasingly difficult for studios to achieve profitability.
He asks whether new workflows could break this cycle, allowing creators to produce high‑quality experiences with fewer resources, shorter timelines, and reduced financial risk. De Jong, the company’s chief product officer, observes that the engine space has become overly standardized and consolidated. While this has provided a solid foundation, he argues that the industry now needs genuine innovation rather than incremental refinements. He criticizes the "monolithic approach" of existing engines, where developers must conform to proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines.
With AI, Immens aims to deliver an engine that molds itself to the developer’s needs, offering interchangeable modules, appendable features, and the ability to craft tailor‑made tools that match individual workflows. Flexibility is a core tenet of Immens’s design philosophy. De Jong stresses that users should be free to decide how much AI to incorporate and where to apply it.
The engine will not enforce a single workflow; instead, it will provide a modular architecture that can be customized at every level—from UI shortcuts to underlying rendering pipelines. This openness extends to interoperability: by adopting open, text‑based standards, Immens ensures that assets from tools like Blender, Maya, or other generative systems can be read and manipulated directly by the AI, eliminating the “black‑box” nature of many current engines. Valient acknowledges that AI is a powerful but volatile tool. "If you don’t keep an eye on it, it can go off the rails," he warns.
Immens therefore embeds transparency mechanisms, allowing developers to trace the AI’s decisions, review its history, and guarantee repeatable outcomes. This level of control transforms AI from a mysterious black box into a reliable assistant that can, for example, generate a set of five uniquely‑behaved characters in minutes—a task that previously might have taken weeks of manual labor. The team also addresses the cultural backlash against AI in game creation.
While some commentators predict a future where entire AAA experiences can be conjured with a single prompt, Immens positions AI as a collaborative tool rather than a replacement for human creativity. Valient believes AI will elevate the overall skill level of developers, making the industry more productive without eroding artistic intent. Economic anxieties surrounding AI—particularly fears of a speculative bubble—are also on the table. Valient draws a parallel with the dot‑com era, noting that while many hype‑driven companies vanished, the underlying technology (the internet) persisted and flourished.
Immens’s goal is to build a solid, useful engine that stands on its own merits, regardless of market hype. Funding remains modest. Immens has secured its "first commitments" but has not disclosed exact figures, describing the amount as "reasonable." Brussee cautions against over‑capitalization, noting that excess cash can breed complacency and diminish the scrappy mindset essential for early‑stage innovation.
Currently, the company consists of the three founders plus a handful of helpers. They deliberately keep the team lean to maintain agility while tackling the complex challenge of building an engine from scratch. De Jong explains the delicate balance: a large workforce does not automatically translate to faster progress; instead, a focused, small team can make more thoughtful decisions and iterate efficiently.
Immens is now working toward a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow. The team aims to release this demo within the month, having already accelerated their timeline—what was projected to take until year‑end is now expected in half that time. Regarding the business model, Brussee admires Epic Games’ "we succeed when you succeed" licensing philosophy but admits it is too early to commit to a specific approach. Ultimately, the founders hope Immens will empower creators to push the boundaries of interactive art, fostering more risk‑taking, creativity, and innovation across the industry.
"We love games and want to see more daring, expressive experiences," Brussee concludes. "If our technology can help make that happen, it would be amazing."