Unity and Unreal have long held sway over the game‑development landscape, accounting for roughly 70 % of the titles launched on Steam in 2025. While Godot has made notable strides recently and some studios cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the duopoly of Unity and Unreal still dominates the market. Enter Immersive, a startup founded by three industry veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient.
Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of game‑tech powerhouses, 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: “A few years ago the idea of an AI‑assisted engine didn’t exist. Now, with AI‑supported programming, you can start building from scratch again under tight guidance and still achieve full functionality quickly.” Valient, Immersive’s chief technology officer, clarified that the company’s AI is not about generating assets through vague prompts. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible.
“If we design the engine with AI reasoning in mind, even small teams or solo developers can add substantial features—say, a custom particle system—without being limited to simple scripting,” he said. This approach aims to let creators extend the engine faster and more intuitively. The motivation behind the project stems from the current economic pressures on developers.
Brussee described the market as “rough,” noting that production costs keep climbing and studios are forced to risk everything on ever‑larger budgets. “We need new, more efficient ways of working that let smaller teams deliver high‑quality games faster and with less financial risk,” he argued. De Jong, Immersive’s chief product officer, pointed out that the engine space has become overly standardized and consolidated.
While that has given developers a solid foundation, it also stifles innovation. “The industry faces many challenges, and simply repeating old practices won’t solve them.
We need a different approach—innovation, not more standardisation,” he asserted. A key criticism of existing engines is their monolithic nature: developers must conform to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows. De Jong envisions an engine that bends to the user’s needs. “It must be flexible—allowing you to swap components, append new tools, and tailor the interface to your exact workflow.
I can build tools that match my background, shortcuts, and project requirements precisely,” he explained. Valient acknowledges AI’s power but also its volatility. “AI is incredibly capable, yet it can go off the rails quickly if you’re not vigilant,” he warned. To mitigate this, Immersive is building transparency into the engine: users will see what the AI is doing, its decision history, and can reproduce results reliably.
This level of control enables developers to create bespoke tools for specific tasks—like generating five uniquely‑traited characters in minutes rather than weeks—dramatically cutting costs. Flexibility is baked into Immersive’s design philosophy.
De Jong emphasized that the engine does not enforce a single workflow; developers decide how much AI to incorporate and where. “The framework and architecture are set up so you can choose your own process, but we must ensure the AI interprets instructions correctly,” he said.
Open standards also play a central role. Brussee noted that when files are stored as plain text, any tool can read them, allowing seamless integration with software such as Blender, Maya, or other generative pipelines. “Many companies are adopting open standards, making interoperability easier. Engines that ignore these standards become isolated outliers.
By embracing open formats, we enable smarter interfaces across the entire toolchain,” he added. The broader industry reaction to AI is mixed. Some commentators on LinkedIn hype the notion of “click‑to‑game” engines that could produce Grand Theft Auto‑level experiences from a single prompt.
Immersive’s team sees AI more as an empowering assistant than a replacement. Valient remarked, “AI will make every developer better; it’s a tool, not a magic button.” De Jong echoed this, stressing responsible usage: “Any technology can be misused, but it’s our duty to guide it toward productive outcomes.” Economic anxieties also swirl around AI, with fears of a valuation bubble. Valient compared the situation to the dot‑com era: “The internet didn’t disappear after the bubble burst; many companies fell, but the valuable ones survived. We’re focused on building a great engine.
AI makes us faster and more ambitious, but whether the market is a bubble is uncertain.” Funding remains modest. Immersive has secured its “first commitments” but has not disclosed amounts, describing the target as “reasonable.” Brussee warned against excessive capital, noting that too much money can breed complacency. The startup remains lean—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers—by design, allowing rapid iteration without the overhead of a large staff. Balancing team size and timeline is a delicate act.
De Jong explained that building an engine is complex; you can’t simply throw a million developers at it. “A small, focused group can make thoughtful decisions and iterate efficiently. Yet we must also have enough resources to seize the current window of opportunity presented by AI’s rise.” Immersive is currently developing a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow.
The goal is to release the demo within the month. Brussee noted that the team originally expected the project to take until year‑end, but they are already moving twice as fast as anticipated, making timeline predictions difficult. The business model is still under discussion.
While Immersive admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” revenue share, Brussee said it’s too early to commit to a specific approach. Ultimately, the founders hope their engine will enable creators to push the medium forward, fostering more artistic risk‑taking and innovation. “We love games and want to see more daring, creative experiences.
If our technology helps make that possible, it would be amazing,” Brussee concluded.