For many 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 and some studios still rely on proprietary solutions such as Capcom’s RE Engine, the market has largely been a duopoly. Into this landscape step three seasoned industry veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—who believe there is still room for a fresh engine that addresses the shortcomings of the current offerings. The trio’s résumé reads like a who’s‑who of modern game development: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple.
Their new venture, Immens, aims to build an engine 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: “There’s an opportunity now to build a new engine that didn’t exist a couple of years ago. With AI‑assisted programming, you can start building from scratch again while still keeping tight guidance and control, delivering full functionality quickly.” Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI in their platform is not about generating assets from a single prompt.
Instead, it is designed to make the engine itself highly extensible. “AI can reason over large codebases and data sets,” he says. “If we architect the engine with that capability in mind, even a solo developer can extend it beyond simple scripting. Want a custom particle system?
You can add it directly into the core without fighting the engine’s constraints.” This approach is intended to let creators use AI to accelerate extensions, not replace the creative process. One of the driving forces behind Immens is the increasingly hostile economics of game development.
Brussee describes the current climate as “rough,” noting that production costs keep climbing and small studios are forced into high‑risk gambles. “We need new ways of working that lower costs, shrink team sizes, and shorten schedules,” he argues. The goal is to break the cycle where a single misstep can jeopardize an entire studio’s livelihood. De Jong, the chief product officer, points out that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated.
While this has given developers a solid foundation, it also stifles innovation. “The industry faces many challenges, and simply repeating the old methods isn’t enough,” he says. “We need innovation, not more standardisation.” He criticises the monolithic nature of existing engines, which often force developers to adapt to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows. With AI, Immens intends to flip that script, offering a platform that molds itself to the developer’s needs.
Flexibility is a core tenet of Immens. De Jong envisions a system where users can swap components, append new modules, and craft bespoke tools that match their personal workflows. “I can build an interface with exactly the shortcuts, features, and layout my team requires,” he explains.
This level of customisation, powered by AI‑aware architecture, aims to give creators the freedom to iterate rapidly without being shackled by a one‑size‑fits‑all engine. Valient acknowledges AI’s double‑edged nature. While it is “really powerful,” it can also go off‑track if left unchecked.
Immens therefore emphasizes transparency and control: users can see what the engine is doing, review its decision history, and ensure repeatable results. This auditability is crucial when automating tasks that previously took weeks. “Imagine designing five characters with specific traits while sipping coffee,” Valient says. “A tool can generate that in minutes, be used a handful of times, and then discarded—something that used to be prohibitively expensive.” The engine’s architecture deliberately avoids imposing a single workflow.
De Jong stresses that developers decide how much AI to incorporate and where to apply it. The underlying framework is built on open standards, meaning files are text‑based and easily readable by other tools. “If you use Blender, Maya, or any generative software, you can plug it in because everything speaks the same language,” Brussee notes.
This openness counters the tendency of many engines to act as closed ecosystems that resist integration. There is a vocal backlash against AI in game development, with some commentators warning that future “click‑to‑game” tools could trivialise the craft.
Immens’ team sees AI as a powerful assistant rather than a replacement. Valient believes AI will elevate the entire industry: “Big games and indie projects alike will benefit because AI makes everyone better.” De Jong adds that, like any technology, AI must be used responsibly; it is a tool that can be misused, but the onus is on developers to steer it toward positive outcomes. Economic concerns also swirl around AI, with many fearing a bubble of over‑valued startups. Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era: the internet didn’t disappear, only the weaker companies did.
“We’re focused on building a solid engine; AI just helps us move faster and think bigger,” he says. Whether the market is in a bubble remains uncertain, but Immens is prepared to weather any correction. Funding details are still vague.
Immens has secured its “first commitments” but has not disclosed amounts, describing them as “reasonable.” Brussee warns against excessive capital, noting that too much money can breed complacency. The company remains lean—just the three founders and a handful of helpers—by design. De Jong explains that engine development is complex and cannot be rushed by throwing a massive team at it; a small, focused group can make deliberate decisions and iterate efficiently. Immens is currently building a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow, slated for release later this month.
The timeline has already outpaced initial expectations: what was projected to take until year‑end is now arriving in half that time. As for the business model, Brussee admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” philosophy but says it’s too early to commit to a specific approach.
Ultimately, the founders hope Immens will empower creators to push the boundaries of the medium. “We love games and want to see more daring, artistic expressions,” Brussee says. “If our technology can spark more risk‑taking and innovation, that would be amazing.”