For years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces behind the majority of games released on platforms like Steam, accounting for roughly 70% of titles in 2025. While open‑source options such as Godot have made notable strides and some studios cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the market has largely been a duopoly. Into this landscape step three seasoned industry veterans, Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient, who have joined forces to launch Immens, a new AI‑enhanced game engine designed to challenge the status quo.
The founders bring a résumé that reads like a who’s‑who of modern game development: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Their collective belief is that there is still room for a fresh engine that not only matches the capabilities of the incumbents but also addresses the pain points that have emerged as development costs soar. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new platform because "the tools that existed a few years ago simply don’t exist anymore"—thanks largely to advances in AI‑assisted programming.
He argues that, with the right guidance, developers can now start from a blank slate and rapidly assemble functional systems, dramatically shortening the prototyping phase. Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarifies that the company’s use of AI is not about generating content through vague prompts.
Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible. "If we design the codebase with AI in mind, even a solo developer can add a custom particle system or a bespoke gameplay mechanic without wrestling with a monolithic framework," he says. The goal is to let creators leverage AI to extend the engine quickly, rather than being constrained by rigid, pre‑packaged tools. The motivation behind Immens is also economic.
Brussee paints a grim picture of the current market: development budgets are ballooning, and the risk of failure is higher than ever. "We need new ways of working that lower costs, let smaller teams deliver faster, and reduce the financial gamble for studios," he asserts. De Jong adds that the engine space has become overly standardized and consolidated, providing a solid foundation but stifling innovation. He calls for a shift from "standardisation" to genuine "innovation," emphasizing flexibility as a core principle.
According to De Jong, many existing engines force developers into a monolithic workflow, complete with proprietary file formats and limited customization. With AI, Immens aims to flip that model, offering an engine that molds itself to the developer’s needs.
"You should be able to swap components, append new features, and build tools that match your exact workflow," he explains. This level of personalization could enable a designer to craft a custom interface, shortcuts, and utilities tailored to a specific project, dramatically improving productivity.
Valient acknowledges AI’s power but also its volatility. He stresses that Immens will keep users in the driver’s seat, providing full transparency over what the AI does and why. This traceability ensures repeatable results and allows developers to create disposable, task‑specific tools—like a rapid character generator—that can be used repeatedly and then discarded, a process that previously would have consumed weeks of labor. Flexibility extends to how much AI a developer wishes to employ.
De Jong says the engine will not impose a single workflow; instead, its architecture will let teams decide where AI fits into their pipeline, provided the AI can correctly interpret the data it receives. Open standards are another pillar of Immens’ design.
By relying on text‑based file formats, the engine can seamlessly interact with popular tools such as Blender, Maya, or any generative‑AI system. "When everything speaks a common language, integration becomes trivial," Brussee notes. The broader industry conversation around AI is polarized.
Some pundits predict a future where entire games can be conjured with a single prompt, a vision that fuels both excitement and fear. Immens’ team acknowledges the hype but positions AI as a tool, not a replacement for human creativity.
Valient believes AI will elevate the quality of both blockbuster and indie titles by making developers more capable, while De Jong warns that, like any technology, it must be wielded responsibly. Economic concerns also loom. Critics argue that the AI boom resembles a bubble, with inflated valuations and speculative investments. Valient counters that AI is here to stay, likening the current skepticism to the dot‑com era.
"The internet didn’t disappear after the bubble burst; it evolved," he says. Immens aims to survive by focusing on building a genuinely useful engine, using AI to accelerate development rather than as a marketing gimmick. Funding remains modest. The founders have secured "first commitments" but have not disclosed exact figures, describing the amount as "reasonable." Brussee cautions against over‑funding, noting that excess capital can breed complacency.
Immens remains a lean operation, consisting of the three founders and a handful of helpers, a deliberate choice to stay agile and scrappy. Immens is currently targeting a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases AI‑driven editing workflows, slated for release within the month.
The timeline has already outpaced their original expectations, with development moving twice as fast as initially projected. As for the business model, the team admires Epic Games’ philosophy of succeeding when developers succeed, but they admit it is too early to lock in a specific approach. Ultimately, Brussee hopes Immens will enable creators to push the artistic and technical boundaries of games, fostering more risk‑taking and innovation.
"We love games and want to see more daring, creative experiences," he says. "If our technology can help make that happen, that would be amazing."