For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces in game development, together accounting for roughly 70% of all titles launched on Steam in 2025. While open‑source alternatives like Godot have gained traction, and some large studios still rely on proprietary solutions such as Capcom’s RE Engine, the market has largely settled into a duopoly. Against this backdrop, three seasoned industry veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—have launched Immers, a new AI‑enhanced game engine that they believe can break the status quo. The founders bring a résumé that reads like a roll‑call of gaming’s biggest names: Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple.
Their collective experience fuels confidence that a fresh engine can still find a foothold. 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.” He added that AI‑assisted programming now makes it feasible to start from a clean slate while still delivering full‑featured tools quickly. Valient, Immers’ chief technology officer, stresses that the AI they employ is not the “prompt‑and‑get‑art” variety that dominates headlines.
Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible. “If we design the engine with AI in mind, even small teams or solo developers can extend it beyond simple scripting,” he said.
“Imagine a developer who wants a custom particle system—AI can help them insert that component directly into the engine without wrestling with low‑level code.” This approach aims to turn AI into a productivity multiplier rather than a gimmick. The motivation behind Immers is rooted in the current economic climate of game development. Brussee describes the market as “rough,” noting that production budgets are inflating faster than ever. “It’s getting harder to succeed because games are becoming more expensive,” he warned.
“We need new ways of working that lower costs, shrink team sizes, and accelerate timelines so studios aren’t risking everything on a single project.” De Jong, the chief product officer, observes that the engine landscape has become overly standardized and consolidated. While this has given developers a stable foundation, it also stifles innovation. “The industry is facing many challenges, and simply repeating the old methods isn’t enough,” he argued. “We need fresh ideas, not more of the same.” He points to the monolithic nature of current engines—rigid file formats, locked‑in workflows, and limited customization—as a pain point.
With AI, Immers aims to flip the script, allowing the engine to adapt to the developer rather than forcing developers to adapt to the engine. Flexibility is a core design principle. De Jong envisions a workflow where creators can swap, append, or modify components at will, building bespoke tools that match their personal habits and project needs.
“I can craft an interface with the exact shortcuts and features my team requires,” he explained. This level of personalization, he believes, will empower smaller studios to punch above their weight. Valient acknowledges that AI is a double‑edged sword.
While it is “really powerful,” it can also “go off the rails” if left unchecked. To mitigate this, Immers gives users full visibility into the engine’s decision‑making process. “You know what the AI is doing, you can trace its history, and you can reproduce results reliably,” he said.
This transparency is intended to keep the creative process under human control, even as AI handles repetitive or data‑heavy tasks. One concrete example Valient gave involves generating multiple characters with specific traits. In a traditional pipeline, this could take weeks of manual work. With Immers, a developer could sketch out the requirements over coffee, let the AI generate the assets, use the result a handful of times, and then discard the temporary tool—saving both time and money.
Immers also embraces open standards to ensure seamless interoperability with existing tools like Blender, Maya, or other generative platforms. Brussee highlighted that text‑based file formats enable any AI to read and manipulate data, fostering “smarter interfaces” across the ecosystem. He lamented that many current engines act as closed‑off islands, hindering collaboration and data exchange. The broader AI debate in game development is not lost on Immers.
Some critics on LinkedIn hype AI as a magic button that could conjure Grand Theft Auto‑level experiences from a single prompt. The Immers team concedes that “click‑to‑game” engines might someday exist, but for now they view AI strictly as a tool that amplifies human talent. Valient summed it up: “AI will make big games and everything in between better because it makes everyone more capable.” Economic concerns also swirl around AI, with many fearing a speculative bubble. Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, noting that while many startups vanished, the underlying technology— the internet—persisted and flourished.
“We’re focused on building a solid engine; AI just helps us move faster and think bigger,” he said. Whether the market is in a bubble remains uncertain, but Immers is betting on the longevity of AI as a development aid.
Funding details are still vague. Immers has secured its “first commitments,” but the founders have not disclosed the exact amount, only describing it as “reasonable.” Brussee warned against over‑funding, noting that excess capital can breed complacency.
“Startups need to stay scrappy,” he laughed. The company remains tiny—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers. This lean structure is intentional, allowing rapid decision‑making while avoiding the pitfalls of a massive, unwieldy team. De Jong explained the trade‑off: “You can’t throw a million people at an engine and expect it to work; you need a focused group to iterate and make hard choices.” At the same time, they must assemble enough talent and resources to capitalize on the narrow window of opportunity presented by AI’s rise.
Immers is currently racing toward a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow. The team aimed to have it ready by year‑end but has already hit the milestone in half the time. “We’re moving twice as fast as we projected,” Brussee said, underscoring the engine’s rapid development pace. Business‑model discussions are still in early stages.
While Immers admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” licensing model, they have not committed to any particular revenue structure yet. Ultimately, Brussee hopes Immers will enable creators to push the medium forward, fostering more artistic risk‑taking and innovation.
“We love games and want to see more daring, creative experiences,” he concluded. “If our technology can help make that happen, that would be amazing."