For years, Unity and Unreal have held sway over the game‑development landscape, accounting for roughly 70% of Steam releases in 2025. While Godot has made notable strides and some studios cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the market has largely been monopolised by the two giants. Against this backdrop, three industry veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—have launched Immens, a fresh game engine that leverages artificial intelligence to break the prevailing cycle of ever‑rising costs and development timelines. The trio’s résumés read like a who’s‑who of modern game‑making: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple.
In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee argued that the moment is ripe for a new engine, noting that “a few years ago this simply didn’t exist.” He believes AI‑augmented programming can restore the ability to build from the ground up under tight guidance, delivering full‑featured tools at a rapid pace. Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI embedded in their platform is not about generating content from a single prompt. Instead, it is designed to make the engine itself highly extensible. “AI can reason over massive codebases and data sets,” he explains.
“If we architect the engine with that capability in mind, even solo developers or small teams can plug in custom systems—like a bespoke particle engine—without being confined to limited scripting layers.” This approach aims to let creators extend the core functionality quickly, turning AI into a productivity multiplier rather than a gimmick. The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the current market’s harsh reality. Brussee describes today’s development climate as “rough,” with budgets ballooning and risk levels soaring. “Games are getting more expensive, and it’s harder than ever to break even,” he says.
The founders see AI as a lever to shrink teams, shorten schedules, and lower financial exposure, thereby protecting studios and their creators. De Jong, the chief product officer, points out that the engine space has become overly standardized and consolidated. While that consolidation provides a solid foundation, it also stifles innovation. “We’re at a point where the industry faces multiple challenges, and repeating the same old processes won’t solve them,” he asserts.
He criticises the monolithic nature of existing engines, which force developers to adapt to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows. With AI, Immens intends to flip that model, offering a flexible, interchangeable system where developers can craft tools tailored to their personal workflows—down to specific shortcuts, interfaces, and feature sets.
Valient acknowledges AI’s power but warns of its volatility. “If you’re not vigilant, the system can go off the rails quickly,” he notes.
To mitigate this, Immens is built to keep users in the driver’s seat: every action is logged, repeatable, and transparent. This auditability ensures creators understand exactly how the engine arrives at a result, whether they are generating five unique characters over a coffee break or iterating on a complex animation pipeline.
Flexibility is a core tenet of Immens’s design philosophy. De Jong stresses that the engine does not impose a single workflow. Instead, it provides a modular architecture that lets teams decide how much AI to incorporate and where. “You can choose the degree of AI assistance you need, but the engine must interpret your instructions correctly,” he says.
Open standards also play a crucial role. By relying on text‑based file formats, Immens enables seamless interoperability with popular tools such as Blender, Maya, and other generative pipelines. Brussee explains that when files are human‑readable, the AI can parse and manipulate them effortlessly, fostering a “smarter interface” across the entire toolchain. This openness counters the isolation often seen in proprietary engines, which can hinder cross‑application workflows.
The broader AI debate in game development is heated. Some commentators on LinkedIn hype a future where a single prompt can spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience, sparking fears of “click‑to‑game” solutions.
Immens’s team acknowledges that such extremes may eventually materialise, but they view AI primarily as an enhancer, not a replacement. “AI will make everyone better, not eliminate the creative process,” Valient asserts, emphasizing responsible usage. Economic concerns also surface, with many questioning whether AI‑centric startups are riding a bubble.
Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, noting that while many companies will fall, solid technology and genuinely useful products endure. “We’re focused on building a great engine; AI simply accelerates our vision,” he says, conceding that the market’s trajectory remains uncertain. Funding details remain vague. Immens has secured its “first commitments,” but the founders have not disclosed amounts, only describing them as “reasonable.” Brussee cautions against over‑capitalisation, warning that excess cash can breed complacency.
The company remains lean—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers—by design, believing that a small, focused team can make more deliberate decisions than a sprawling organisation. 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 expectations; what was projected for year‑end is now arriving months earlier. While the business model is still being refined, Brussee admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” philosophy but admits it’s too early for concrete commitments. Ultimately, the founders hope Immens will empower creators to push the boundaries of interactive art.
“We love games and want to see more risk‑taking, more creativity,” Brussee concludes. “If our technology can help bring innovative experiences to life, that would be amazing.”