For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces in game creation, responsible for roughly 70% of the titles that appeared on Steam in 2025. While Godot has made noticeable strides recently and some large studios cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the market has largely been monopolized by those two giants. Enter Immersive, 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 creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Together they argue that there is still room for a fresh engine, and that the next generation of tools should be built with artificial intelligence at its core. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right 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 from a clean slate and get full‑featured functionality up and running much faster than before.” Valient, Immersive’s chief technology officer, clarified that the AI they are integrating is not the typical “prompt‑to‑output” model that dominates headlines. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible.
“If we design the codebase with AI reasoning in mind, even a solo developer can add a custom particle system or a bespoke gameplay mechanic without wrestling with opaque scripting layers,” he noted. The goal is to let creators extend the engine quickly, using AI as an accelerator rather than a replacement for traditional coding.
The motivation behind this ambitious project stems from the current state of the games market, which Brussee describes as “rough.” Development costs keep climbing, making it increasingly difficult for small teams to break even. “We need new ways of working that lower expenses and let studios ship games faster with fewer people,” he argued. The trio believes that AI can help break the cycle of ever‑inflating budgets by streamlining repetitive tasks and enabling rapid prototyping.
De Jong, the chief product officer, pointed out that the engine landscape has become overly standardized and consolidated. While that consolidation provides a solid foundation, it also stifles innovation. “The industry is facing a host of challenges, and simply repeating the old formula isn’t enough,” he said.
“We need a different approach—one that embraces flexibility and personalization.” One of the pain points with existing engines is their monolithic nature. Developers often have to conform to proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines. De Jong envisions an engine that bends to the user’s needs rather than forcing developers to bend to it.
“You should be able to swap components, append new modules, or build entirely custom tools that match your workflow,” he explained. “Imagine a UI that mirrors your personal shortcuts, features, and interface preferences—tailored for your team and project.” Valient acknowledges that AI is a double‑edged sword. While it is “really powerful,” it can also veer off course if left unchecked. Immersive therefore places control firmly in the hands of the user.
“You always see what the engine is doing, you can trace its history, and you can reproduce results reliably,” he said. This transparency allows developers to craft one‑off tools for specific problems—like generating five uniquely‑behaved characters in minutes instead of weeks—without sacrificing reproducibility. Flexibility is baked into Immersive’s design philosophy.
De Jong stresses that the engine does not impose a single workflow. “You decide how much AI you want to use and where you apply it,” he remarked.
“Our architecture simply provides a sandbox where you can experiment safely.” Interoperability is another cornerstone. By adopting open, text‑based standards, Immersive aims to make its engine play nicely with popular tools such as Blender, Maya, and other generative pipelines. “When files are human‑readable, any program can parse them,” Brussee said. “That means the AI can ingest and manipulate assets directly, and you can plug in existing software without fighting proprietary barriers.” The broader conversation around AI in game development is charged with both excitement and skepticism.
Some commentators on LinkedIn hype the notion of “click‑to‑game” experiences that could rival blockbuster titles with a single prompt. Immersive’s team tempers these expectations, viewing AI as a powerful assistant rather than a magical shortcut. “AI will make every creator better, but it’s still a tool,” Valient emphasized.
“It carries negative connotations now because it’s disrupting the status quo at an unprecedented scale.” Economic concerns also surface, especially regarding the hype‑driven valuations that some label as a 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 vision.” Funding remains modest.
Immersive has secured its “first commitments” but has not disclosed amounts, describing the target as “reasonable.” Brussee warns 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 and a handful of helpers—by design. De Jong explains the trade‑off: “You can’t throw a million engineers at an engine and expect it to work.
A small, focused team makes deliberate decisions, but you also need enough resources to hit the market window created by AI’s rise.” Currently, Immersive is racing toward 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 was projected to take until year‑end is now arriving in half that time. Regarding the business model, Brussee admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” philosophy but admits it’s too early to commit to a specific approach. Ultimately, he hopes Immersive will empower developers to push the artistic boundaries of games.
“We love games as complex expressions of art,” he said. “We want more creativity, more risk‑taking, and more innovation built on technology like this.
That would be amazing."