For years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces in game creation, accounting for roughly 70% of the titles released on Steam in 2025. While open‑source alternatives like Godot have gained traction, most large studios still cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—leaving the market largely monopolized by the two giants.
Enter Immens, a fledgling studio founded by three industry veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient. Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of game development, featuring stints at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Together they see a clear opening for a fresh engine that addresses the shortcomings of the status quo and leverages the latest advances in artificial intelligence.
In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right: “A few years ago, the idea of building a new engine from the ground up seemed impossible. Today, AI‑assisted programming gives us the ability to start from scratch again and get full‑featured tools up and running quickly.” Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarified that their use of AI is not about generating assets with a single prompt. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible.
“If we design the engine with AI in mind, even a solo developer can add a custom particle system or a bespoke gameplay mechanic without wrestling with opaque scripting layers,” he said. This approach aims to let creators extend the engine faster, turning AI into a productivity multiplier rather than a magic wand. 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 shorten timelines," he argued. The goal is to break the cycle where rising budgets threaten the livelihood of developers and studios alike.
De Jong, the chief product officer, pointed out that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated. While this has provided a stable foundation, it also stifles innovation.
"The industry faces a host of challenges, and simply repeating old methods won’t solve them. We need fresh ideas, not more of the same," he asserted.
He criticized the "monolithic" nature of existing engines, which force developers to conform to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows. With AI, Immens intends to deliver a system that molds itself to the user’s needs. Flexibility is a core tenet of Immens.
De Jong explained that developers will be able to swap, append, and modify components at will, crafting tools that match their personal workflows. "Imagine building a custom interface with shortcuts tailored to your team’s habits—this is the kind of freedom we want to enable," he said. Valient also warned that AI, while powerful, can behave unpredictably if left unchecked. To mitigate this, Immens will give users full visibility into the engine’s decisions, maintaining a clear history of actions so that outcomes are repeatable and controllable.
He illustrated the potential with a simple example: generating five characters with specific traits could previously take weeks of manual work, but with AI‑assisted tools, a developer could sketch the concept over coffee and have a functional prototype in minutes, then discard the temporary tool after use. The architecture deliberately avoids imposing a single workflow. De Jong emphasized that teams can decide how much AI to incorporate and where, as long as the underlying system can interpret instructions correctly. Open standards also play a crucial role.
Brussee highlighted that text‑based file formats allow any compatible program—whether Blender, Maya, or a generative‑AI suite—to read and write data seamlessly. "When everything speaks the same language, integration becomes trivial," he noted, contrasting this openness with the proprietary silos that still plague many engines. Public sentiment toward AI in game development is mixed, with some critics fearing a future where a single prompt can spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience. Immens acknowledges that a "click‑to‑game" vision might someday be feasible, but they stress that AI should remain a tool, not a replacement for human creativity.
Valient argued that AI will simply make creators more capable, while De Jong reminded the audience that any technology can be misused; the responsibility lies with developers to apply it ethically. Economic anxieties also surface, especially regarding the hype around AI startups and the possibility of a bubble.
Valient compared the situation to the dot‑com era, noting that while many companies will fade, the underlying technology endures. "AI isn’t disappearing; it’s evolving. Our focus is on building a solid engine that leverages AI to speed up development and enable bigger dreams," he said.
Funding remains modest. Immens has secured its first round of commitments but has not disclosed the exact amount, describing it as "reasonable." Brussee cautioned against excessive capital, warning that too much money can breed complacency. The team intentionally stays lean—just the three founders and a handful of helpers—to retain agility and make deliberate decisions. Balancing team size with ambition is a delicate act.
De Jong explained that creating an engine is a complex undertaking that cannot be rushed by simply adding more personnel. Instead, a small, focused group can iterate thoughtfully, ensuring the product aligns with the emerging market window created by AI advancements. Immens is currently developing 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 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 revenue structure. Ultimately, the founders hope Immens will empower creators to push the boundaries of interactive art, fostering more risk‑taking and innovative experiences. "We love games and want to see them evolve.
If our technology can help spark that evolution, it would be amazing," Brussee concluded.