For years, Unity and Unreal have been the go‑to tools for game creators, responsible for roughly 70% of the titles that appeared on Steam in 2025. While open‑source options like Godot have begun to gain traction, most large studios still cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—leaving the market heavily dominated by the two giants. Enter Immens, a fledgling engine built 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 creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple.
Together they believe there is still space for a fresh engine that can address the shortcomings of the current landscape. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new platform that simply didn’t exist a few years ago.
“With AI‑assisted programming, you can start building from scratch again,” he said. “Guided by intelligent tools, you can achieve full‑fledged functionality much faster than before.” Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarified that the AI they employ is not the typical "prompt‑to‑content" gimmick that dominates headlines. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible. “AI can reason over large codebases and data sets,” he noted.
“If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even a solo developer can plug in a custom particle system or a bespoke gameplay mechanic without being confined to a limited scripting layer.” This approach, he argues, 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 market as “rough,” pointing out that production budgets keep inflating while success rates shrink. “We need new ways of working that lower costs and let smaller teams ship high‑quality games faster,” he said.
“Otherwise studios risk their livelihood on ever‑larger financial bets.” De Jong, the company’s chief product officer, observed that the engine space has become overly standardized and consolidated. While that consolidation provides a solid foundation, it also stifles innovation. “The industry faces a host of challenges, and simply repeating the old formula won’t cut it,” he argued.
“We need a paradigm shift—flexibility over monoliths.” Current engines often force developers into a monolithic workflow, demanding adherence to proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines. De Jong envisions an engine that bends to the user’s needs instead.
“Imagine being able to swap modules, append new tools, or redesign the UI to match your personal workflow,” he said. “A developer with a background in visual effects could build an interface that mirrors their existing toolset, complete with custom shortcuts and panels, without fighting the engine’s constraints.” Valient warned that AI, while powerful, can quickly veer off course if left unchecked. To counter this, Immens is built with transparency at its core.
Users can see exactly what the AI is doing, review its decision history, and ensure repeatable outcomes. This level of control, he explained, turns a potentially volatile technology into a reliable assistant.
“If you need to generate five characters with a specific trait, you used to spend weeks planning and scripting. Now you can prototype over coffee, iterate instantly, and discard the temporary tool once the job is done,” he said. Flexibility is baked into Immens’s design philosophy. De Jong emphasized that the engine does not impose a single workflow; developers decide how much AI to incorporate and where.
The underlying architecture is deliberately modular, allowing teams to pick and choose AI‑driven features while preserving manual control where needed. Interoperability is another cornerstone. By embracing open standards and text‑based file formats, Immens aims to play nicely with existing tools like Blender, Maya, or any generative‑art pipeline. “When files are human‑readable, any program can parse them,” Brussee explained.
“The AI can then manipulate those assets directly, creating a seamless bridge between different software ecosystems.” This openness addresses a long‑standing pain point where engines act as closed ecosystems, hindering collaboration across tools. The broader AI debate in game development is polarized. Some hype‑driven voices on LinkedIn claim that a single prompt could soon spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience.
Immens’s team acknowledges the allure of “click‑to‑game” fantasies but insists their vision treats AI as a sophisticated tool rather than a magical shortcut. “AI will make everyone better, not replace the creative process,” Valient said. “It’s a disruptive technology, but like any tool, its impact depends on how responsibly we wield it.” Economic concerns also swirl around AI, with many fearing a speculative bubble. Valient likened the situation to the dot‑com era: the internet didn’t disappear when the bubble burst; only the weaker businesses did.
“Our goal is to build a genuinely good engine. AI accelerates our development and expands our imagination, but the core product must stand on its own merits,” he noted.
Whether the market is in a bubble remains uncertain, but the team is focused on delivering value regardless. Funding for Immens is still in its early stages. The founders have secured “first commitments” but have not disclosed amounts, describing the target as “reasonable.” Brussee cautioned against excessive capital, noting that too much money can breed complacency.
“Startups need to stay scrappy,” he laughed. The company remains lean—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers. This intentional size allows rapid decision‑making and avoids the overhead of large teams.
De Jong explained the trade‑off: a game engine is complex and can’t be built by a thousand engineers overnight, yet there is a narrow window of opportunity as AI reshapes the industry. Balancing talent, funding, and timing is the core challenge they are navigating.
Immens is currently racing toward a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow. The team aimed for a year‑long development cycle but has already halved that timeline, targeting a public demo later this month. Brussee admitted that predicting exact milestones is difficult when progress accelerates so quickly. Regarding the business model, Immens admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” approach but admits it’s too early to finalize its own strategy.
The ultimate hope, according to Brussee, is that Immens will empower creators to push the medium forward, fostering more risk‑taking, artistic expression, and innovation. “We love games and want to see them evolve,” he concluded. “If our technology can help bring more daring, creative experiences to life, that would be amazing."