For many years, the game‑development landscape has been dominated by two heavyweight engines: Unity and Unreal. In fact, estimates suggest that around 70 % of all titles released on Steam in 2025 were built with one of those platforms. While open‑source alternatives like Godot have enjoyed a surge in popularity, and a handful of large publishers continue to rely on proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the market has largely settled into a duopoly that leaves little room for competition. Enter Immens, a fledgling company founded by three seasoned industry veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient.
Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of game‑tech history, featuring stints at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Together they believe the status quo is ripe for disruption and that a fresh engine, built with modern AI capabilities at its core, can offer developers a better way to create games. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new engine because "the tools that existed a couple of years ago simply don’t address the problems developers face today." He argues that AI‑assisted programming can restore the sense of starting from a clean slate, allowing teams to assemble functional prototypes far more rapidly than before.
"With guided, controllable AI, you can get full‑featured systems up and running quickly," he said. Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarified that the AI they are integrating is not the sort of generative chatbot that spits out code from vague prompts. Instead, it is an intelligence that understands the engine’s architecture and helps extend it in a modular fashion. "If we design the codebase with AI reasoning in mind, even a solo developer can add a custom particle system or a bespoke physics module without wrestling with monolithic scripting layers," he explained.
This extensibility is intended to empower smaller teams to tailor the engine to their unique visions rather than being forced to conform to a one‑size‑fits‑all workflow. The motivation behind Immens is also deeply rooted in the current economic realities of game development. Brussee described the market as "rough" and warned that production budgets are inflating at an unsustainable rate.
"Games are becoming more expensive, and the risk to studios is growing. We need new, efficient ways of working that let creators deliver high‑quality experiences with fewer resources," he said.
The trio sees AI as a lever to lower those costs, enabling faster iteration and reducing the manpower needed for routine tasks. De Jong, the chief product officer, pointed out that the engine space has become overly standardized and consolidated. While a stable foundation is valuable, he believes the industry now demands innovation rather than incremental improvements. "The current engines take a monolithic approach: you adapt to the software, its proprietary file formats, and its rigid pipelines.
With AI, we can build an engine that adapts to you," he said. He envisions a system where developers can swap components, append new features, and craft custom tools that match their personal workflows—down to the exact shortcuts and UI layout they prefer.
Valient also warned that AI, while powerful, can misbehave if left unchecked. Immens is therefore designed to keep the user in the driver’s seat, offering full transparency over what the AI does and why. "You can trace the history of every change, ensuring repeatability and control," he noted. This level of oversight is crucial for creative pipelines where a designer might need to generate five characters with specific traits in minutes—a task that previously could take weeks of manual labor.
Flexibility is a core tenet of Immens’ philosophy. De Jong emphasized that the engine does not impose a single workflow; developers decide how much AI to employ and where. The architecture is deliberately open, supporting text‑based file formats that any tool can read. "If you’re using Blender, Maya, or any generative asset pipeline, you can plug it in because everything speaks a common language," Brussee added.
This openness contrasts with many existing engines that act as closed ecosystems, hindering interoperability. The conversation around AI in game development is polarized. Some commentators on LinkedIn sensationalize the technology, claiming that a simple prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale world.
Immens’ team acknowledges the hype but frames AI as a "tool" rather than a magic button. Valient believes AI will elevate the entire industry, making developers more capable, while De Jong stresses responsible usage: "Any technology can be misused; it’s our duty to guide it toward positive outcomes." Economic concerns also swirl around the AI boom, with skeptics labeling the sector a bubble.
Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, noting that while many startups vanished, the underlying internet endured and flourished. "AI isn’t disappearing; it’s evolving. Our focus is on building a solid engine that leverages AI to accelerate development, not on chasing speculative valuations," he said. Funding remains modest.
Immens has secured its "first commitments" but has not disclosed amounts, describing the capital as "reasonable." Brussee cautioned against over‑funding, noting that excess cash can breed complacency. The company intentionally remains lean—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers—believing that a small, focused team can make decisive architectural choices without the inertia of a large organization.
Immens is currently racing toward a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases AI‑driven editing workflows. The goal is to release this demo within the month, a timeline that Brussee admits is twice as fast as originally projected. This rapid progress underscores the potential speed gains that AI can deliver when integrated thoughtfully. As for the business model, Immens is still exploring options.
While they admire Epic Games' revenue‑share approach—"we succeed when you succeed"—they admit it is too early to commit to a specific strategy. Ultimately, the founders hope their engine will spark a renaissance of creativity and risk‑taking in games. "We love games as an art form and want to see more daring, innovative experiences," Brussee concluded. "If our technology can help developers push boundaries, that would be amazing."