For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces in game development, accounting for roughly 70% of the titles released on Steam in 2025. While Godot has enjoyed notable growth recently and some large studios still rely on proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the market has largely been a duopoly controlled by the two giants.
Enter Immersive’s founders—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—three industry veterans who believe there is still room for a fresh engine and, more importantly, for a better way to build games. Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of modern game tech: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Together they are setting out to challenge the status quo. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new engine because “the landscape has changed in ways that didn’t exist a couple of years ago.” He points to AI‑assisted programming as a catalyst that can let developers start from a clean slate again.
“With the right guidance and control, you can assemble a fully‑functional system quickly,” he said. Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI they are integrating is not the kind of “prompt‑to‑art” hype that dominates social media.
Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible. “AI can reason over massive codebases and data sets,” he noted. “If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even a solo developer can add a custom particle system or a bespoke gameplay mechanic without being limited to a few scripting hooks.” The goal is to let creators extend the engine faster, using AI as a productivity partner rather than a magical shortcut. The motivation behind Immens is also economic.
Brussee describes the current market as “rough,” emphasizing that development costs keep climbing, making it harder for small teams to survive. “We need new workflows that cut costs, shrink team sizes, and shorten timelines, so studios aren’t risking everything on a single project,” he argued. De Jong, the chief product officer, observes that the engine space has become standardized and consolidated, providing a solid foundation but also stifling innovation.
“The industry faces a series of challenges, and simply repeating the old methods won’t solve them,” he said. “We need innovation, not more standardisation.” He criticises the monolithic nature of existing engines, where developers must adapt to proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines. With AI, he envisions an engine that molds itself to the developer’s needs, offering interchangeable modules, custom tools, and personalized shortcuts that match each creator’s workflow. Valient acknowledges AI’s power but warns that it can “go off the rails” if left unchecked.
Immens therefore places control firmly in the user’s hands: the engine logs its actions, maintains reproducible histories, and lets developers audit every step. This transparency enables rapid prototyping—imagine designing five unique characters over a coffee break rather than spending weeks on them—and then discarding the temporary tools once the job is done, dramatically lowering cost. Flexibility is a core tenet of Immens.
De Jong stresses that the engine does not impose a single workflow; developers decide how much AI to employ and where. The architecture is deliberately open, allowing seamless integration with common industry tools. Brussee points out that using text‑based file formats means any AI can read and manipulate assets, and open standards make it easy to plug in software like Blender, Maya, or generative‑AI utilities.
This openness contrasts with many current engines, which often act as closed ecosystems that resist interoperability. There is a vocal backlash against AI in game development, fueled by sensational claims that a single prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience. Immens’s team concedes that “click‑to‑game” engines might appear someday, but they view AI strictly as a tool that enhances human creativity.
Valient says, “Big games will still be made because AI makes everyone better, not because AI replaces them.” De Jong adds that the industry has a responsibility to wield AI responsibly, just as with any powerful technology. Economic anxieties also swirl around the AI boom, with many questioning whether the sector is a bubble. Valient draws a parallel with the dot‑com era, noting that while many companies vanished, the underlying internet persisted and thrived.
“We’re focused on building a solid engine; AI simply accelerates our dreaming and execution,” he explained. Whether the market is inflated is uncertain, but the team believes that quality products will survive regardless of hype cycles. Funding remains modest. Immens has secured its “first commitments” but has not disclosed amounts, describing them as “reasonable.” Brussee cautions against excess capital, saying too much money can breed complacency and erode the scrappy mindset essential for a startup.
The company remains a lean operation—just the three founders and a handful of helpers—by design. De Jong notes that building an engine is a complex, long‑term endeavour that cannot be rushed by throwing a massive team at it; instead, a focused, iterative approach is required to hit the narrow window of opportunity presented by AI’s rise. The team is currently developing a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow, slated for release this month. Brussee admits they originally expected the project to take until year‑end, but they are already moving twice as fast as anticipated, making timeline predictions difficult.
Regarding the business model, Immens admires Epic Games’ “we succeed when you succeed” philosophy but admits it’s too early to define concrete terms. Ultimately, Brussee hopes Immens will enable creators to push the medium forward, fostering more artistic expression, risk‑taking, and innovation. “We love games and want to see more creativity,” he says.
“If our technology can help bring that to life, that would be amazing."