For years, Unity and Unreal have been the go‑to tools for game creators, accounting for roughly 70 % of all Steam releases projected for 2025. While open‑source alternatives like Godot have gained traction and some studios cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine, for example—the duopoly of Unity and Unreal still dominates the market. Enter Immens, a fledgling venture founded by three seasoned veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient.
Their résumés read like a who's‑who of the industry, with stints at 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 the current landscape. 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 didn’t exist,” he said.
“Now, 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’s chief technology officer, clarified that the AI they are leveraging is not the generative‑prompt style that dominates headlines. Instead, their 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 engine with that capability in mind, even a solo developer can add a custom particle system or a bespoke gameplay mechanic without being confined to a limited scripting layer.” This approach, he said, empowers creators to extend the engine quickly and safely. The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the current economic pressures of game development. Brussee described the environment as “rough,” noting that production costs keep climbing and many studios struggle to stay afloat.
“We need new ways of working that cut expenses, shrink team sizes, and accelerate timelines,” he asserted. “If we can lower the financial barrier, developers won’t be risking their livelihoods on a single title.” De Jong, the chief product officer, highlighted a broader industry trend: a “standardisation and consolidation” of game engines that, while providing a stable foundation, has also stifled innovation. “Continuing to iterate on the same monolithic tools isn’t enough,” he said. “What we need now is genuine innovation, not just more of the same.” One of the pain points De Jong identified in existing engines is their monolithic nature.
Developers often have to conform to rigid file formats and workflows dictated by the engine vendor. With AI, Immens aims to flip that script, delivering an engine that adapts to the user rather than forcing users to adapt to it. “Flexibility is key,” he noted.
“You should be able to swap components, append new features, and craft tools that match your personal workflow—down to the exact shortcuts, UI layout, and feature set you need for a particular project.” Valient also warned that AI, while powerful, can misbehave if left unchecked. “We’re building Immens so that the developer stays in full control,” he said. “You can see exactly what the engine is doing, review its decision history, and ensure repeatable results.
This transparency lets you create throw‑away tools for one‑off tasks—like generating five uniquely‑traited characters over a coffee break—without incurring the massive costs that traditional pipelines demand.” Immens’s philosophy is deliberately engine‑agnostic. The team refuses to impose a single workflow, instead offering a modular architecture where developers decide how much AI to incorporate and where.
“Our framework is designed to be a canvas, not a paint‑by‑numbers kit,” De Jong explained. “You choose the level of AI assistance that makes sense for your project, as long as the AI understands the context correctly.” Interoperability is another cornerstone of Immens. By embracing open, text‑based standards, the engine can communicate seamlessly with tools like Blender, Maya, or any generative‑art pipeline.
“When files are human‑readable, any software can parse them,” Brussee said. “That means the AI can read, modify, and export assets across the ecosystem without proprietary lock‑in.
It’s a big step toward a truly connected toolchain, something the current generation of engines often neglects.” The broader conversation about AI in games is not without controversy. Some pundits on LinkedIn hype the notion of “click‑to‑game” engines that could conjure Grand Theft Auto‑scale experiences from a single prompt. Immens’s founders acknowledge that such hype exists but stress that AI should be viewed as a tool, not a magic wand. “AI will make every creator better, not replace them,” Valient argued.
“It’s disruptive, which is why it feels uncomfortable, but that disruption is necessary for progress.” Economic anxieties also swirl around AI, with fears of a speculative bubble. Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era: “The internet didn’t disappear when the bubble burst; many companies fell, but the technology endured. We’re focused on building a solid engine; AI simply accelerates our development and expands what’s possible.” Funding remains modest. Immens has secured its first round of commitments, though the exact amount is undisclosed and described only as “reasonable.” Brussee cautions against over‑capitalisation, noting that excess cash can breed complacency.
“Startups need to stay scrappy,” he laughed. “Too much money can make you lazy.” The team itself is lean—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers. They believe a small, focused group can make better architectural decisions than a massive crew. “Building an engine is complex, but you don’t need a thousand engineers to get it right,” De Jong said.
“You need a tight team that can iterate quickly and seize the current window of opportunity created by AI advancements.” Immens is currently targeting a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow, slated for release later this month. The timeline has already outpaced their original estimate; what they thought would take a year is now shaping up in half that time.
“We’re moving faster than we expected, which makes it hard to give precise dates,” Brussee admitted. Regarding the business model, Brussee admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” approach but admits it’s too early to lock in a pricing strategy. The ultimate goal, he says, is to empower creators to push the medium forward. “We love games and the artistic expression they represent,” he concluded.
“We want to see more risk‑taking, more creativity, and more innovation built on technology like ours. That would be amazing.”