For years, Unity and Unreal have been the go‑to platforms for game creators, accounting for roughly 70 % of the titles that appeared on Steam in 2025. While open‑source alternatives like Godot have begun to gain traction, most large studios still cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—leaving Unity and Unreal firmly entrenched at the top of the market. Enter Immens, a fledgling studio founded by three industry veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient.
Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of game‑tech powerhouses, spanning Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Together, they believe there is still room for a fresh engine that addresses the shortcomings of today’s dominant tools. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee argued that the timing is right for a new platform, noting that “an opportunity now exists that simply didn’t exist a few years ago.” He points to the rapid advances in AI‑assisted programming as a catalyst that could let developers start building from a clean slate again, while still retaining enough guidance and control to ship functional products quickly. Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, is quick to clarify that the AI they are integrating is not the kind of “prompt‑to‑content” magic that dominates headlines.
Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible. “AI can reason about massive codebases and data sets,” he explains. “If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even solo creators or tiny teams can extend it beyond simple scripting. Want a custom particle system?
You can add it directly, without waiting for a patch or digging through opaque source code.” This extensibility, he says, is the core of how Immens intends to let developers harness AI to accelerate iteration. The motivation behind this AI‑centric engine is rooted in the current economic pressures of game development.
Brussee describes the market as “rough,” emphasizing that production costs keep climbing and that many studios struggle to stay afloat. “We need new ways of working,” he says.
“If we can make the process more efficient—smaller teams, shorter timelines, lower budgets—we reduce the risk to creators and their studios.” De Jong, the chief product officer, adds that the engine space has become overly standardized and consolidated. While that consolidation has provided a stable foundation, he believes the industry now demands genuine innovation rather than incremental refinements. “We’re at a point where continuing to do things the same way won’t cut it,” he asserts. “We need a different approach.” One of the pain points De Jong highlights is the monolithic nature of existing engines.
Developers often have to bend their workflows to fit proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines. With AI, Immens aims to flip that relationship, offering an engine that adapts to the developer’s needs.
“Flexibility is key,” he says. “You should be able to swap components, append new tools, and modify the interface to match exactly what your project requires—down to the shortcuts and UI layout you prefer.” Valient acknowledges that AI, while powerful, can also behave unpredictably if left unchecked. To mitigate this, Immens is built with transparency in mind: users can see what the AI is doing, review its decision history, and ensure reproducibility. This control enables developers to create bespoke tools for specific problems—such as generating five characters with a unique trait—in a matter of minutes rather than weeks.
“What used to cost a small fortune can now be done over coffee,” Valient notes, emphasizing the potential for dramatically cheaper workflows. The engine’s design deliberately avoids imposing a single workflow. De Jong stresses that Immersive’s framework is modular, allowing teams to decide how much AI they want to involve and where. “We provide the scaffolding; you decide how to build on it,” he says.
“The AI must understand the context correctly, but the ultimate choice remains with the developer.” Interoperability is another cornerstone of Immens’s strategy. By embracing open standards and text‑based file formats, the engine can communicate seamlessly with tools like Blender, Maya, or any generative‑AI pipeline.
Brussee explains, “When files are human‑readable, any system can parse them. This opens the door for smarter interfaces across the entire toolchain, something proprietary engines have historically resisted.” The broader conversation around AI in game development is polarized. Some commentators on LinkedIn hype the idea of “click‑to‑game” experiences that could produce Grand Theft Auto‑level worlds from a single prompt.
Immens’s founders see AI more modestly—as a powerful assistant rather than a replacement for human creativity. Valient says, “AI will make everyone better, but it remains a tool. The negative perception stems from the disruption it causes at an unprecedented scale.” Economic anxieties also surface, with critics warning of an AI bubble reminiscent of the dot‑com era.
Valient counters that while valuations may be inflated, the underlying technology is here to stay. “The internet didn’t disappear after the bubble burst; many companies fell, but the good ones survived and thrived. We’re focusing on building a solid engine; AI simply accelerates our vision.” Funding for Immens remains modest.
The team has secured its “first commitments,” but the exact amount is undisclosed and described only as “reasonable.” Brussee cautions against over‑funding, noting that excess capital can breed complacency. “Startups need to stay scrappy,” he laughs. “Too much money can make you lazy.” Currently, Immens consists of the three founders plus a handful of helpers.
They intentionally keep the operation lean to maintain agility and focus. De Jong explains the trade‑off: “Building an engine is complex, but you don’t need a million‑person army.
A small, dedicated team can make thoughtful decisions and iterate faster, especially given the narrow window of opportunity presented by AI’s rise.” The company is working toward a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow, slated for release within the month. Brussee admits that their original timeline—targeting the end of the year—has already been halved, illustrating the speed gains they anticipate for users. Regarding the business model, Immens admires Epic Games’ philosophy of “we succeed when you succeed,” but it remains too early to define a concrete revenue strategy.
Ultimately, Brussee hopes the engine will empower creators to push the medium forward, fostering more risk‑taking, artistic expression, and innovation. “We love games and want to see more daring, creative experiences,” he says.
“If our technology can help make that happen, it would be amazing."