For years, Unity and Unreal have been the de‑facto platforms for game creation, together accounting for roughly 70% of all titles released on Steam in 2025. While Godot has enjoyed a surge in popularity and some large publishers continue to rely on proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine, for example—the market has largely settled into a duopoly that leaves little room for alternatives.
Enter Immens, a fledgling venture founded by three seasoned veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient. Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of the industry, with stints at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. The trio believes that despite the dominance of existing engines, there is still space for a new, more adaptable platform—one that leverages artificial intelligence not as a gimmick but as a structural advantage. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a fresh engine because "the tools that existed a couple of years ago simply aren’t enough any more." He argues that AI‑augmented programming can resurrect the ability to build from the ground up without the massive overhead that traditionally accompanies engine development.
"With guided, controllable AI, you can assemble a fully functional system far more quickly than before," he said. Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarified that their use of AI is fundamentally different from the hype‑driven "prompt‑to‑content" narrative.
Instead, the AI is embedded in the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible. "The AI can reason over large codebases and data sets," he noted. "If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even solo developers or tiny studios can plug in custom modules—say, a bespoke particle system—without being confined to a limited scripting layer.
The AI simply accelerates the extension process." The motivation behind Immens is also economic. Brussee described the current climate as "rough," noting that development costs are spiralling and the risk of financial ruin for small studios is growing. "We need new workflows that shrink budgets and timelines, allowing creators to ship with fewer people and less capital," he asserted.
De Jong echoed this sentiment, pointing out that the engine market has become overly "standardised and consolidated." While that consolidation provides a stable foundation, he believes the industry now demands genuine innovation rather than incremental tweaks. One of De Jong’s primary criticisms of existing engines is their monolithic nature. Developers are forced to adapt to proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines. By contrast, an AI‑aware engine could morph to fit the developer’s workflow.
"Flexibility is key," he said. "You should be able to swap components, append new features, or build entirely custom tools that match your personal shortcuts, UI preferences, and project‑specific needs." Valient also warned that AI, while powerful, can misbehave if left unchecked.
Immens therefore emphasizes transparency and control: users can trace every AI decision, review its history, and ensure repeatability. This level of oversight, he argues, turns AI from a black box into a reliable assistant that can, for example, generate five character variants with specific traits in minutes—a task that previously might have taken weeks. Immens is deliberately architected to avoid imposing a single workflow.
De Jong stressed that the framework is modular, allowing teams to decide how much AI to incorporate and where. The engine also embraces open standards, meaning that text‑based assets are readable by any compatible tool.
"When files are open and human‑readable, the AI can ingest and manipulate them directly," Brussee explained. This openness facilitates seamless integration with industry staples such as Blender, Maya, or other generative pipelines, eliminating the “weird outlier” problem that many proprietary engines suffer from. The broader conversation about AI in games is polarized.
Some commentators on platforms like LinkedIn predict a future where a simple prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience. Immens acknowledges that a "click‑to‑game" vision might eventually materialise, but they view AI primarily as a productivity tool. Valient said, "AI will make every developer better, not replace them. Its current negative perception stems from the disruption it causes at an unprecedented scale." Economic anxieties also swirl around AI, with fears of a bubble and inflated valuations.
Valient compared the situation to the dot‑com era, noting that while many companies will fail, the underlying technology endures. "AI isn’t disappearing; it’s evolving. Our goal is to build a solid engine that harnesses AI to speed up development and enable bigger dreams. Whether we’re in a bubble is unknown, but history shows the tech itself survives." Funding remains modest.
Immens has secured its "first commitments" but has not disclosed amounts, describing them as "reasonable." Brussee cautioned against over‑funding, saying it can breed complacency. The company remains a lean operation—just the three founders and a handful of helpers—by design.
De Jong explained the trade‑off: a massive team does not guarantee success for a complex project like an engine; a focused, agile group can make deliberate decisions and iterate faster, especially within the narrow window of opportunity presented by the AI wave. The team is currently targeting a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow, slated for release later this month. Brussee noted that development has progressed twice as fast as initially projected, underscoring the speed gains they attribute to AI assistance. Regarding the business model, Immens admires Epic Games' "we succeed when you succeed" licensing philosophy but admits it is too early to commit to a specific approach.
Ultimately, Brussee hopes the engine will empower creators to push artistic boundaries, take risks, and deliver innovative experiences. "We love games and want to see more creativity and daring projects. If our technology can help make that happen, it would be amazing," he concluded.