For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces shaping the video‑game development landscape, together accounting for roughly 70 % of all titles launched on Steam in 2025. While Godot has made notable strides in recent years and some heavyweight publishers continue to rely on proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the market has largely been monopolized by the two giants. Enter Immens, a 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‑making, featuring stints at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple.
The trio believes there is still space for a fresh engine, and more importantly, for an engine that addresses the shortcomings of today’s mainstream tools. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new platform that simply did not exist a few years ago.
“With AI‑assisted programming, we can start building from the ground up again,” he said. “Guided by intelligent assistance, developers can achieve full‑featured functionality much more quickly than before.” Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarified that the AI component is not about generating assets with a single prompt. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible. “AI can reason about large amounts of data and source code,” he noted.
“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 into the core without fighting the engine’s constraints.” This philosophy aims to let developers harness AI as a speed‑up for extension rather than as a magical shortcut. The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the current economic pressures of game development. Brussee described the environment as “rough,” emphasizing that production costs are spiralling and that many studios struggle to stay afloat.
“We need new ways of working that lower budgets, shrink team sizes, and accelerate timelines,” he argued. “If we can break the cycle of ever‑increasing expense, developers can protect their livelihoods and take more creative risks.” De Jong, the company’s chief product officer, observed that the engine market has become increasingly standardized and consolidated. While this has provided a stable foundation, he believes the industry now demands genuine innovation. “Continuing to do exactly what we’ve always done won’t cut it,” he said.
“We need a different approach—one that embraces flexibility rather than imposing a monolithic workflow.” One of the pain points with existing engines is their rigidity. Developers often have to adapt to proprietary file formats and workflows that were not designed with their specific needs in mind. De Jong envisions an engine that bends to the user’s requirements, allowing developers to swap, append, or modify components at will. “I can build tools that match my personal workflow—exact shortcuts, interfaces, and features—so my team can work exactly the way we need to,” he explained.
Valient also warned that AI, while powerful, can behave unpredictably if left unchecked. Immens therefore places the user in full control of the AI’s actions, offering complete transparency and repeatability.
“You can see the history of what the engine did, so you know it can be reproduced,” he said. “Imagine needing five characters with a particular trait; previously you might spend weeks planning and coding. With AI‑assisted tools, you could prototype that over a coffee break, reuse the tool a handful of times, and then discard it.
That level of rapid iteration was prohibitively expensive before.” Flexibility is a core design principle for Immens. The engine does not enforce a single workflow; instead, it provides a modular architecture that lets users decide how much AI to incorporate and where. De Jong emphasized that the framework must be adaptable enough to accommodate diverse development styles while ensuring the AI understands the context correctly. Interoperability is another priority.
Immens is being built around open standards, meaning that text‑based files can be read and manipulated by any compatible software. “If the AI can read a file, it can act on it,” Brussee said. “Open standards let us plug in tools like Blender, Maya, or any generative system without fighting proprietary barriers.
This openness is something bespoke engines have historically lacked.” The broader conversation about AI in games is polarized. Some commentators on platforms like LinkedIn hype the notion that a single prompt could generate a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience, sparking fear and backlash. Immens acknowledges the hype but frames AI as a tool, not a replacement for human creativity. Valient believes that AI will make developers better, not obsolete, and that the industry must adopt it responsibly.
“Every tool can be misused,” he noted. “Our job is to ensure it amplifies talent rather than diminishes it.” Economic anxieties also swirl around AI, with many questioning whether the current surge represents a bubble.
Valient compared the situation to the dot‑com era, arguing that while some companies will fail, the underlying technology will endure. “AI isn’t disappearing; the internet survived its bubble,” he said. “Our focus is on building a solid engine that leverages AI to accelerate development and inspire bigger dreams.” Funding for Immens remains modest. The founders have secured “first commitments” but have not disclosed exact figures, describing the amount as “reasonable.” Brussee cautioned against excessive capital, noting that too much money can breed complacency.
“Startups need to stay scrappy,” he laughed. “If you have endless cash, you risk losing the hunger that drives innovation.” The team itself is tiny—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers—by design.
De Jong explained that building an engine is a complex endeavor that cannot be solved by throwing a million engineers at the problem. A lean group allows for deliberate decision‑making and rapid iteration, which is crucial given the narrow window of opportunity presented by the AI wave. Immens is currently working toward a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow.
The goal is to release this demo within the month. Brussee revealed that the project, which began in April, is already moving twice as fast as initially projected, underscoring the potential speed gains AI can deliver. Regarding the business model, Immens admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” licensing approach but admits it is too early to commit to a specific strategy. Ultimately, Brussee hopes the engine will empower creators to push the medium forward.
“We love games and the artistic expression they enable,” he said. “We want to see more risk‑taking, more creativity, and more innovation built on technology like ours. That would be amazing."