For years, Unity and Unreal have been the go‑to tools for game creators, together powering roughly 70 % of the titles that appeared on Steam in 2025. While Godot has made notable strides recently and some publishers cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the market has largely been locked into the duopoly of Unity and Unreal.
Enter Immens, a fledgling studio founded by three seasoned veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient. Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of the industry, featuring stints at Epic Games (the makers of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple.
The trio believes there is still room for a fresh engine that addresses the shortcomings of the current offerings. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee argued that the timing is ripe for a new platform.
“A few years ago this kind of engine simply didn’t exist,” he said. “With AI‑assisted programming we can start building from the ground up again, under tight guidance, and deliver full‑featured tools much faster.” Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarified that their use of AI is not about generating assets with a single prompt.
Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible. “AI can reason over massive codebases and data sets,” he explained.
“If we design the core with that capability in mind, even solo developers can plug in custom systems—like a bespoke particle effect—without being limited to a handful of scripting options.” This approach aims to let creators extend the engine swiftly, using AI as an accelerator rather than a magic wand. The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the current state of game development, which Brussee describes as “rough.” Production costs continue to climb, making it increasingly difficult for small teams to survive. “We need new ways of working that lower expenses, shrink team sizes, and shorten timelines,” he said.
“Otherwise studios risk their livelihoods on ever‑larger budgets.” De Jong, the chief product officer, pointed out that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated. While this has provided a stable foundation, it also stifles innovation. “The industry faces a host of challenges, and repeating the same processes won’t solve them,” he warned.
“What we need now is genuine innovation, not more of the same.” One of the pain points with existing engines is their monolithic nature. Developers must adapt to rigid pipelines, proprietary file formats, and fixed toolsets. De Jong envisions an engine that bends to the user’s workflow instead of forcing users into its constraints.
“Flexibility is key,” he said. “You should be able to swap components, add new ones, and craft tools that match exactly how you work—down to the shortcuts, UI layout, and feature set.” Valient acknowledges that AI, while powerful, can be unpredictable if left unchecked.
To mitigate this, Immens is built to keep users in the driver’s seat. “You’ll always see what the engine is doing, its decision history, and you can reproduce results reliably,” he noted.
This transparency allows developers to create temporary, purpose‑built tools—like a quick script that generates five characters with specific traits—in minutes rather than weeks, dramatically cutting costs. Immens does not enforce a single workflow.
De Jong emphasizes that the framework is deliberately agnostic, letting teams decide how much AI to incorporate and where. “We provide the scaffolding; you decide the shape,” he said. “The AI must understand the context correctly, but the ultimate control belongs to the creator.” Interoperability is another cornerstone of the platform.
By embracing open, text‑based standards, Immens aims to play nicely with popular software such as Blender, Maya, and other generative tools. “When files are human‑readable, any program can parse them,” Brussee explained.
“The AI can then manipulate those assets directly, enabling seamless communication across the entire production pipeline.” This open‑standard approach counters the closed ecosystems that often hinder collaboration. The broader conversation around AI in games is polarized. Some pundits on LinkedIn hype the idea of “click‑to‑game” experiences, suggesting that a single prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale world. Immens’ founders see AI more modestly—as a powerful assistant rather than a replacement for human creativity.
“AI will make everyone better, not eliminate the need for skilled developers,” Valient asserted. “It’s a tool, and like any tool, it can be misused, but it also holds immense potential for positive change.” Economic anxieties also swirl around the AI boom, with fears of a speculative bubble.
Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era: “The internet didn’t disappear after the bubble burst; many companies fell, but the technology endured. We’re focused on building a solid engine that stands on its own merits. Whether the market inflates or deflates, good products survive.” Funding for Immens remains modest.
The founders have secured initial commitments but have not disclosed exact figures, describing the amount as “reasonable.” Brussee cautions against over‑capitalization, noting that excess money can breed complacency. “Startups need to stay scrappy,” he laughed. “Too much cash can make you lazy.” The team itself is intentionally lean—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers. De Jong explains the balance: “Creating an engine is complex; you can’t throw a million engineers at it and expect miracles.
A small, focused group can iterate, make critical decisions, and move quickly. At the same time, we must time our effort to capture the window of opportunity presented 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. Brussee notes that the project is progressing twice as fast as originally projected, making timeline predictions difficult. Regarding the business model, Immens admires Epic Games’ philosophy of sharing success with developers but admits it’s too early to lock in a specific approach.
Ultimately, Brussee hopes the engine will empower creators to push the medium forward. “We love games and the artistic complexity they embody,” he said. “We want more risk‑taking, more creativity, and more innovation built on technology like ours. That would be amazing."