For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the go‑to platforms for video‑game creation, together accounting for roughly 70 % of the titles launched on Steam in 2025. While open‑source alternatives like Godot have started to gain traction and some large publishers continue to rely on proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a notable example—the market has largely been a duopoly dominated by the two giants.
Enter Immens, a fledgling studio founded by three seasoned industry veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient. Their résumés read like a who's‑who of game development, spanning Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple.
The trio believes there is still room for a fresh engine that not only competes with the established players but also addresses the pain points that have emerged as development costs soar. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new platform.
“A few years ago this kind of engine didn’t exist,” he said. “With AI‑assisted programming we can start building from the ground up again, under tight guidance, and deliver full‑featured tools much faster than before.” Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarified that the AI they employ is not the “prompt‑to‑art” gimmick that dominates headlines.
Instead, the artificial intelligence is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible. “AI can reason over massive amounts of data and source code,” he noted. “If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even a solo developer can plug in a custom particle system or a bespoke gameplay mechanic without being limited to a handful of scripting hooks.” This approach aims to let creators use AI as a productivity accelerator rather than a black‑box generator. The motivation behind Immens’s AI‑centric design is the increasingly hostile economics of game production.
Brussee described the current climate as “rough,” pointing out that development budgets keep inflating while the margin for error shrinks. “We need new ways of working that lower costs, shrink team sizes, and speed up iteration,” he said.
“Otherwise studios risk their livelihood on projects that may never see the light of day.” De Jong, the chief product officer, added that the engine market has entered a phase of “standardisation and consolidation.” While this has created a solid foundation, he argues that the industry now needs genuine innovation. “Continuing to do things exactly as we have in the past won’t solve the challenges we face,” he asserted. “We need a different paradigm—one that embraces flexibility and adaptability.” One of the biggest criticisms aimed at existing engines is their monolithic nature. Developers are forced to conform to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows.
De Jong believes AI can flip this model on its head, delivering an engine that molds itself to the developer’s needs. “You should be able to swap components, append new modules, and craft tools that match your personal workflow,” he explained.
“Imagine having an interface that reflects your own shortcuts, features, and visual preferences, tailored for your specific project.” Valient also warned that AI, while powerful, can “go off the rails” if left unchecked. Immens therefore places control firmly in the hands of the user.
“You always know what the engine is doing, you can trace its actions, and you can reproduce results reliably,” he said. This transparency, he argues, allows developers to create disposable tools for specific tasks—like generating a set of characters with particular traits in minutes rather than weeks—without sacrificing repeatability.
Flexibility is baked into Immens’s core philosophy. De Jong emphasized that the platform does not impose a single workflow. “You decide how much AI you want, where you want it, and how you integrate it,” he noted.
The team also prioritises open standards, ensuring that text‑based assets can be read and manipulated by any compatible software. “If you’re using Blender, Maya, or any generative tool, you can plug it directly into Immens because everything communicates through open, interoperable formats,” Brussee said. This openness contrasts with many proprietary engines that act as closed ecosystems.
The broader conversation around AI in game development is polarized. Some commentators on LinkedIn hype the idea of “click‑to‑game” engines that could produce Grand Theft Auto‑scale experiences from a single prompt.
Immens’s founders temper such expectations, describing AI as a catalyst rather than a replacement for human creativity. “AI makes everyone better, but the vision and design still come from people,” Valient affirmed. “It’s a tool, and like any tool, it can be misused, but it also has the power to unlock new possibilities.” Economic concerns also linger, with skeptics labeling the AI boom a bubble.
Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, noting that while many companies vanished, the underlying technology persisted and flourished. “AI isn’t going away. The question is whether we build products that are genuinely valuable,” he said. Immens aims to be one of those lasting products by focusing on a solid engine first, using AI to accelerate development and inspire bigger dreams.
Funding remains modest. Immens has secured its “first commitments” but has not disclosed exact figures, describing the amount as “reasonable.” Brussee cautioned against over‑funding, noting that excess capital can breed complacency. “Startups need to stay scrappy,” he laughed. “Too much money can make you lazy.” The company remains a lean operation, consisting of the three founders and a handful of helpers.
This small‑team approach is intentional; building an engine is a complex undertaking that benefits from focused decision‑making rather than a massive workforce. De Jong explained the delicate balance: “You need enough people to hit the market window created by AI’s rise, but not so many that you lose agility.” Immens is currently developing a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow. The team plans to release this demo within the month, already having accelerated their timeline by a factor of two compared to initial estimates.
Brussee admitted that predicting exact milestones is challenging when progress is this rapid. 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 the medium forward. “We love games as an art form and want to see more risk‑taking, more creativity,” he said.
“If our technology helps bring innovative experiences to life, that would be amazing.”