For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces in game development, together accounting for roughly 70% of all titles released on Steam in 2025. While Godot has enjoyed a surge in popularity recently, most large studios continue to rely on proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a notable example—leaving the market largely under the control of the two giants. Enter Immens, a startup founded by three industry veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—who believe there is still space for a fresh engine that addresses the shortcomings of the status quo. Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of game development: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, Apple, and more.
Together they aim to challenge the entrenched players with a platform built around artificial intelligence. In an 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.” He argues that AI‑assisted programming can return developers to a more experimental, start‑from‑scratch mindset while still providing rapid, full‑featured results under tight guidance and control. Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI they employ is not the “prompt‑to‑image” variety that dominates headlines.
Instead, it is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible. “AI can reason over large amounts of data and source code,” he says. “If we design the engine with that in mind, even a solo developer can plug in a custom particle system or any other feature without being limited to a tiny scripting layer.” This approach aims to let creators extend the engine quickly, leveraging AI as a productivity booster rather than a magic wand.
The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the current economic climate of game development. Brussee describes the environment as “rough,” noting that production costs keep climbing, making it harder for small teams to survive. He asks whether new workflows can break the cycle of ever‑increasing budgets and risk.
The answer, according to the founders, lies in more efficient, AI‑enhanced processes that let teams do more with fewer people and less money. De Jong, the chief product officer, points out that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated. While that standardisation has provided a solid foundation, he believes the industry now needs genuine innovation. “Continuing to do things exactly as we have before isn’t enough,” he says.
“We need a different way—something flexible, modular, and adaptable to each developer’s unique pipeline.” Current engines often force developers into a monolithic workflow, complete with proprietary file formats and rigid toolchains. De Jong envisions an engine that bends to the user’s needs, allowing developers to swap components, append new functionality, and craft bespoke tools tailored to their personal shortcuts, interfaces, and project requirements. In practice, this could mean a designer creating a custom asset‑management UI that mirrors their own mental model, rather than contorting to fit an imposed system. Valient acknowledges AI’s power but also its volatility.
“If you don’t watch it, it can go off the rails quickly,” he warns. To mitigate that risk, Immens is built to keep the user in the driver’s seat: every AI‑generated action is logged, repeatable, and fully transparent. This auditability ensures that creators understand exactly how a tool arrived at a result, whether it’s generating five characters with a specific trait or automating a repetitive animation task. What once took weeks of manual work could now be prototyped over a coffee break, then discarded after a handful of uses—dramatically cutting costs.
Flexibility is baked into Immens’s core philosophy. De Jong stresses that the engine does not dictate a single workflow; instead, it provides a framework where developers decide how much AI to employ and where. The architecture is deliberately open, supporting integration with common industry standards.
“When files are text‑based, any tool can read them,” Brussee notes. “That means the AI can parse and manipulate assets from Blender, Maya, or any generative system without proprietary barriers.” By embracing open standards, Immens hopes to create smoother pipelines between disparate software, something that many existing engines still struggle with.
The broader conversation around AI in games is polarized. Some commentators on LinkedIn predict a future where a simple prompt can spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience, fueling fears of “click‑to‑game” shortcuts. Immens’s team acknowledges the hype but frames AI as a tool, not a replacement for human creativity. Valient believes AI will elevate the quality of both blockbuster titles and indie projects by making creators more capable, not by eliminating the craft.
Economic concerns also surface, with critics labeling the AI boom a speculative bubble. Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era: “The internet didn’t disappear when the bubble burst; many unsustainable companies fell, but the technology endured.” Immens aims to build a solid engine first, using AI to accelerate development and inspire bigger dreams, regardless of market hype. Funding remains modest.
The founders have secured initial commitments but have not disclosed exact figures, describing the amount as “reasonable.” Brussee cautions against over‑funding, noting that excess capital can breed complacency. Immens remains a lean operation—just the three founders and a handful of helpers—by design.
De Jong explains the trade‑off: a small, focused team can make deliberate decisions, but they also need enough resources to hit the narrow window of opportunity presented by AI’s rise. 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 estimate; what they thought would take until year‑end is now arriving in half that time.
While the ultimate business model is still under discussion, Brussee admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” approach but admits it’s too early for concrete commitments. Ultimately, the trio hopes Immens will rekindle a spirit of experimentation and risk‑taking in games. “We love games as complex artistic expressions,” Brussee says. “We want to see more creativity, more daring ideas, and we hope our technology can be the foundation for the next wave of innovation.
That would be amazing."