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 Godot has made notable strides recently and some large studios continue to rely on proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the market has largely been locked into the duopoly of Unity and Unreal. Enter Immersive, a startup 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, 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 that addresses the shortcomings of the current offerings.
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new platform. “A few years ago the idea of an AI‑enhanced engine didn’t exist,” he said. “Now, with AI‑assisted programming, we can start building from the ground up again, under tight guidance, and deliver full‑featured tools much faster.” Valient, Immersive’s chief technology officer, clarified that the AI they employ is not the “prompt‑and‑receive‑art” type that dominates headlines. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible.
“If we design the codebase with AI reasoning in mind, even a solo developer can add a custom particle system or a bespoke gameplay mechanic without wrestling with opaque scripting layers,” he noted. The goal is to let creators extend the engine quickly, leveraging AI as a productivity partner rather than a magic wand.
The motivation behind Immersive’s ambitious project is the increasingly hostile economics of game development. Brussee described the current climate as “rough.” Production budgets are spiraling, development cycles are lengthening, and the risk of financial ruin for small studios is growing.
“We need new ways of working that lower costs, shrink team sizes, and accelerate timelines,” he argued. “If we can break that cycle, we protect the livelihoods of developers and keep the medium vibrant.” De Jong, the chief product officer, warned that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated. While that consolidation has provided a stable foundation, it also stifles innovation.
“The industry now faces a series of challenges, and repeating the same old processes won’t solve them,” he said. “We need a paradigm shift—innovation, not just more of the same.” One of De Jong’s criticisms of existing engines is their monolithic nature.
Developers must conform to proprietary file formats and workflows, limiting flexibility. With AI, Immersive envisions an engine that molds itself to the developer’s needs.
“It should be interchangeable, extensible, and customizable,” he explained. “I can build tools that match my personal workflow—exact shortcuts, interfaces, and features—so my team can work exactly the way we want.” Valient also acknowledged AI’s pitfalls.
While the technology is powerful, it can “go off the rails” if left unchecked. Immersive therefore builds transparency into the system: users can see what the AI is doing, review its decision history, and ensure repeatable outcomes. This control allows developers to generate, for example, five uniquely‑behaved characters in the time it once took weeks, then discard the temporary tool after use—dramatically cutting costs.
Flexibility is baked into Immersive’s design philosophy. The engine does not force a single workflow; instead, it offers a modular architecture where developers decide how much AI to incorporate and where. “We want the framework to be a canvas, not a cage,” De Jong said. “The AI must understand the context correctly, but the ultimate control stays with the creator.” Open standards are another cornerstone of the project.
By using text‑based file formats, Immersive ensures that any tool—whether Blender, Maya, or a proprietary pipeline—can read and write data without friction. “When files are open, the AI can parse them and act on them,” Brussee noted. “That interoperability is huge because it lets us plug into existing ecosystems rather than building isolated silos.” The broader conversation about AI in games is often polarized. Some pundits on LinkedIn hype the notion of “click‑to‑game” experiences where a single prompt spawns a Grand Theft Auto‑scale world.
Immersive’s team tempers those expectations, viewing AI as an augmentative tool rather than a replacement for human creativity. “AI will make everyone better, but the art still comes from people,” Valient asserted.
“It’s a tool, and like any tool, it can be misused, but it also has the power to unlock new levels of expression.” Economic anxieties also swirl around AI, with many fearing a bubble of over‑valued startups. Valient compared the situation to the dot‑com era: the internet didn’t disappear, but many speculative companies did.
“We’re focused on building a solid engine,” he said. “AI accelerates us, but the core product must stand on its own merits.” Funding remains modest. Immersive has secured its first round of commitments, though the exact amount is undisclosed and described as “reasonable.” Brussee cautioned against excess capital, noting that too much money can breed complacency.
“Startups need to stay scrappy,” he laughed. “Otherwise you lose the edge that drives innovation.” The team is deliberately lean—just the three founders and a handful of helpers.
De Jong explained that engine development is complex and cannot be rushed by sheer manpower. “You need a small, focused group to make deliberate decisions,” he said. “At the same time, we must hit the market window created by AI’s rise, so we balance resources carefully.” Immersive is currently racing toward a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow. The prototype is slated for release later this month, and the team reports they are already moving twice as fast as their original timeline projected.
“Predicting exact dates is tough,” Brussee admitted, “but the speed we’re seeing is encouraging.” As for the business model, Immersive admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” approach but admits it’s too early to finalize details. Ultimately, the founders hope their engine will empower creators to push the medium forward, encouraging risk‑taking and artistic ambition.
“We love games and want to see more daring, creative experiences,” Brussee concluded. “If our technology can help make that happen, it would be amazing."