For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces behind game creation, responsible for roughly 70% of the titles that appeared on Steam in 2025. While Godot has made notable strides recently and some studios continue to rely on proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the market has largely been a duopoly. Against this backdrop, three seasoned industry veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—have launched Immens, a startup that believes there is still room for a fresh engine and, more importantly, for meaningful improvement.
All three founders bring heavyweight résumés to the table. Their careers span Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple.
In a conversation 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‑assisted programming, you can start building from scratch again, under guided control, and achieve full functionality quickly." Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI they employ is not the flashy, prompt‑to‑image kind that dominates headlines. Instead, it is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible. "AI can reason about massive amounts of data and source code," he said.
"If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even solo developers or tiny teams can plug in custom systems—like a bespoke particle effect—without being confined to a limited scripting layer. The AI helps them extend the engine faster and more safely." The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the current economic pressures of game development.
Brussee describes the environment as "rough": development costs keep climbing, making it increasingly difficult for studios to turn a profit. "We need new ways of working, more efficient processes that lower budgets and shrink team sizes, so developers aren’t gambling their livelihoods on a single title," he argued. De Jong, the chief product officer, points out that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated.
While this has given developers a solid foundation, it also stifles innovation. "The industry faces a host of challenges, and repeating the same old methods isn’t enough. We need innovation, not further standardisation," he said.
He also criticises the "monolithic" nature of existing engines, which force developers to conform to proprietary file formats and workflows. With AI, Immens aims to flip that script, offering an engine that adapts to the user rather than the other way around. Flexibility is a core design pillar. De Jong envisions a system where developers can swap components, append new modules, or completely redesign tools to match their personal workflows.
"I can build a toolset that mirrors my own habits—exact shortcuts, interfaces, and features—so my team can work exactly the way we need to," he explained. Valient acknowledges AI’s double‑edged nature.
While it is "really powerful," it can also "go off the rails" if left unchecked. Immens therefore emphasizes transparency and control: users can see what the engine is doing, trace its decision history, and ensure repeatable results. This level of oversight enables rapid prototyping—imagine generating five uniquely‑behaved characters over a coffee break, then discarding the temporary tool once the job is done.
Such workflows, once prohibitively expensive, become feasible with Immens. The engine does not impose a single workflow.
De Jong stresses that the architecture is deliberately agnostic, allowing studios to decide how much AI to incorporate and where. The goal is to make sure the AI "understands" the developer’s intent correctly, avoiding missteps that could derail a project.
Interoperability is another priority. Immens is built around open standards and text‑based file formats, which means any tool that can read plain text—Blender, Maya, or future generative utilities—can plug directly into the pipeline. "When files are text‑based, anything can read them," Brussee noted.
"That opens the door for smarter interfaces across the entire ecosystem." There is a vocal backlash against AI in game creation, fueled in part by sensational claims on platforms like LinkedIn that a simple prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑level experience. Immens acknowledges the hype but frames AI as a "tool," not a magic button.
Valient believes AI will elevate the entire industry: "Big games and everything in between will be made better because AI makes everyone more capable." Economic concerns also swirl around AI, with many questioning whether the sector is a 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 lets us dream bigger. Whether it’s a bubble is unknown, but the technology isn’t disappearing." Funding remains modest.
Immens has secured its "first commitments" but has not disclosed amounts, describing the target as "reasonable." Brussee warns against over‑funding, saying it can breed complacency: "Too much money can make a startup lazy; you need to stay scrappy." The team remains lean—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers—by design. De Jong explains the trade‑off: a massive workforce doesn’t guarantee success for a complex engine; a focused, small group can make deliberate decisions and iterate quickly.
Timing is crucial, and they aim to hit the market window created by AI’s rise. Immens is currently developing a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow, slated for release later this month. The timeline has already outpaced their original expectations: "We thought we’d need until year‑end, but we’re two‑times faster," Brussee said. As for the business model, Immens is still exploring options.
While they admire Epic’s "we succeed when you succeed" licensing philosophy, it’s too early to commit to a specific approach. Ultimately, the founders hope their engine will empower creators to push the medium forward. "We love games and want to see more creativity and risk‑taking," Brussee concluded.
"If our technology enables that, it would be amazing."