For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the go‑to tools for game creators, accounting for roughly 70% of the titles released on Steam in 2025. While open‑source alternatives like Godot have gained traction, and some studios such as Capcom continue to rely on proprietary solutions like the RE Engine, the market has largely been dominated by the two giants.
Against this backdrop, three seasoned industry veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—have launched Immens, a startup that believes there is still space for a fresh engine and, more importantly, for a better way to build games. The founders’ résumés read like a roll call of the modern gaming elite. Brussee helped shape the original *Quake* engine at id Software, De Jong was a key architect behind the *Killzone* series at Guerrilla Games, and Valient has spent time at Epic Games, Apple, and other high‑profile studios.
Their combined experience gives them a unique perspective on the limitations of today’s dominant tools and fuels their ambition to create a more adaptable, AI‑enhanced platform. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new engine because “the technology that didn’t exist a couple of years ago is now mature enough to be useful.” He believes AI‑assisted programming can revive the notion of building a game from a clean slate, offering developers the ability to generate functional components quickly while still retaining granular control. Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI they are integrating is not the “prompt‑to‑image” gimmick that dominates headlines. Instead, the AI is designed to make the engine itself more extensible.
“If we structure the codebase so that AI can reason about it, even a solo developer can add a custom particle system or a bespoke physics module without diving into a massive scripting layer,” he said. This approach aims to let smaller teams or individual creators extend the engine’s capabilities far beyond what traditional scripting permits.
The motivation behind Immens is also economic. Brussee describes the current climate as “rough” for developers, noting that production costs keep climbing and that many studios struggle to stay afloat. He argues that a more efficient workflow—one that leverages AI to cut down on repetitive tasks—could lower budgets, shrink team sizes, and reduce the financial risk associated with game development.
De Jong, the chief product officer, points out that the engine market has entered a phase of “standardisation and consolidation.” While this has provided a stable foundation, he believes the industry now needs genuine innovation rather than more of the same. He criticises the monolithic nature of existing engines, which force developers to conform to proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines.
With AI, Immens intends to flip that script, delivering a system that adapts to the user’s workflow instead of the other way around. Flexibility is a recurring theme in the founders’ vision. De Jong envisions a platform where developers can swap, append, or modify components at will, crafting tools that match their personal preferences and project requirements.
“I can build an interface with the exact shortcuts and features my team needs, and the engine won’t get in the way,” he explained. Valient acknowledges that AI is powerful but also volatile.
“If you don’t monitor it, it can go off the rails quickly,” he warned. To mitigate this, Immens is being built with transparency in mind: users will always see what the engine is doing, have access to its decision history, and be able to reproduce results reliably. This level of control is intended to keep the creative process predictable while still allowing rapid prototyping—imagine sketching out five characters with specific traits over a coffee break, then discarding the temporary tool once the job is done.
The architecture of Immens deliberately avoids imposing a single workflow. De Jong says the framework is designed so teams can decide how much AI to incorporate and where, while still ensuring the AI interprets instructions correctly. Open standards also play a crucial role; by using text‑based file formats, the engine can interoperate seamlessly with popular tools like Blender, Maya, or any generative‑AI pipeline. “When everything speaks a common language, you can plug in any software without fighting against a closed‑source engine,” Brussee noted.
There is a vocal backlash against AI in game development, often fueled by sensational claims that a simple prompt could generate a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience. Immens’s team tempers those expectations, describing AI as a “tool” rather than a magic button. Valient believes AI will make developers better, not replace them, and stresses the responsibility of the industry to use the technology ethically. Economic concerns also linger, with many questioning whether AI‑centric startups are part of a speculative bubble.
Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, arguing that while some companies will fail, the underlying technology will endure. “We’re focused on building a solid engine; AI just accelerates our ability to dream bigger and iterate faster,” he said.
Funding details remain vague. Immens has secured its first commitments, but the founders have not disclosed the exact amount, only describing it as “reasonable.” Brussee cautions against over‑funding, noting that excess capital can breed complacency. The company deliberately remains lean—just the three founders and a handful of helpers—to stay agile and make thoughtful decisions. Currently, Immens 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 expectations; what was projected to take until year‑end is now on track for a much earlier launch. When asked about the business model, Brussee mentioned admiration for Epic Games’ “we succeed when you succeed” philosophy but admitted it’s too early to commit to a specific approach. Ultimately, the team hopes their engine will empower creators to push artistic boundaries, take risks, and inject fresh innovation into the medium. In their own words, “We love games.
We love complex expressions of the art form and want to see more of that. We want to see more creativity and more risk‑taking.
Hopefully we can see innovation in games that will be built on this kind of tech. That would be amazing.”