For more than a decade, Unity and Unreal have been the go‑to tools for game creators, accounting for roughly 70% of all titles released on Steam in 2025. While open‑source alternatives such as Godot have begun to attract attention, the market remains heavily dominated by these two commercial powerhouses, with a handful of studios still preferring bespoke solutions like Capcom’s RE Engine. In this landscape, three seasoned industry veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—believe there is still room for a fresh, more adaptable engine. Their new venture, Immens, is set to challenge the status quo by leveraging artificial intelligence to make game development cheaper, faster, and more flexible for small teams.
The trio’s résumés read like a roll‑call of the modern games industry: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee argued that the timing is perfect for a new engine, noting that "the opportunity now" didn’t exist just a few years ago.
He explained that AI‑assisted programming can restore the ability to build tools from the ground up, offering developers a high degree of control while still delivering rapid functionality. Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI they are integrating is not the “prompt‑and‑receive” variety that dominates headlines.
Instead, the AI is baked into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible. "If we design the code base with AI in mind, even solo developers can add custom systems—like a bespoke particle system—without being limited to simple scripting," he said. This approach aims to let creators extend the engine quickly, using AI as a productivity amplifier rather than a magical content generator.
The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the current economic pressures of game development. Brussee describes the market as "rough," emphasizing that production costs keep climbing, making it harder for studios to survive. "We need new ways of working that reduce cost, shrink team size, and accelerate timelines," he said.
The goal is to break the cycle where rising budgets threaten the livelihood of developers and studios. De Jong, the chief product officer, points out that the engine landscape has become overly standardized and consolidated. While this has provided a solid foundation, he argues that the industry now needs genuine innovation. "Continuing to do things the same way isn’t enough; we need a different approach," he asserted.
He criticizes the monolithic nature of current engines, which force developers to adapt to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows. With AI, Immens aims to create an engine that molds itself to the developer’s needs, allowing interchangeable components, custom tools, and personalized interfaces. Flexibility is a core tenet of Immens.
De Jong explains that developers should be able to swap modules, append new features, or completely overhaul parts of the pipeline to suit their project’s unique demands. He envisions a scenario where a designer can craft a tool with exactly the shortcuts, UI layout, and functionality required for their team, without being constrained by a one‑size‑fits‑all engine. Valient acknowledges AI’s double‑edged nature. While it is "really powerful," it can also veer off course if left unchecked.
To mitigate this, Immens is built to keep the user in full control, providing transparent histories of AI actions so that outcomes are repeatable and auditable. This transparency is crucial for creative workflows where, for example, generating five characters with specific traits could previously take weeks.
With AI‑enhanced tools, a developer might prototype such assets over a coffee break, reuse the workflow multiple times, and discard it afterward—dramatically cutting costs. Immens does not impose a single workflow. De Jong stresses that the framework is deliberately agnostic, letting teams decide how much AI to incorporate and where. The architecture is also designed around open standards, ensuring seamless interoperability with common tools like Blender, Maya, or other generative pipelines.
"When files are text‑based, any software can read them," Brussee notes. This openness contrasts with many existing engines that act as closed ecosystems, hindering smooth data exchange.
The conversation around AI in game development is polarized. Some commentators on LinkedIn hype "click‑to‑game" engines that could produce Grand Theft Auto‑scale experiences from a single prompt. Immens acknowledges that such extremes might one day be feasible, but they view AI primarily as a supportive instrument.
Valient says, "AI will make everyone better, not replace the craft of game making." De Jong adds that the industry bears responsibility to use AI ethically, recognizing that any tool can be misused. Economic anxieties also surface, with skeptics labeling the AI boom a bubble. Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, arguing that while many companies will fail, the underlying technology endures. "AI isn’t going away; it’s making us faster and allowing us to dream bigger," he asserts.
Immens remains cautious about funding, having secured initial commitments but not disclosing exact amounts. Brussee warns against excessive capital, noting that too much money can breed complacency and reduce the scrappy mindset essential for a startup. The company remains lean—just the three founders and a handful of helpers—by design.
De Jong explains that building an engine is a complex endeavor that cannot be solved by throwing a million engineers at the problem. A small, focused team can make deliberate decisions and iterate efficiently, especially given the narrow window of opportunity presented by rapid AI advancements.
Immens is currently targeting a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow, slated for release this month. Brussee reveals that the team initially projected a year‑long development timeline, yet they are already moving twice as fast.
This acceleration underscores the practical benefits of AI‑assisted development. Regarding the business model, Immens admires Epic Games’ philosophy of succeeding when developers succeed, but it is too early to formalize revenue strategies. The founders are focused on delivering a robust, flexible engine first. In closing, Brussee expresses hope that Immens will enable creators to push the medium forward.
"We love games and want to see more risk‑taking, more creativity. If our technology can help bring innovative experiences to life, that would be amazing," he says. The ambition behind Immens is not merely to compete with Unity and Unreal, but to reshape how games are built—making the process more accessible, more efficient, and ultimately more imaginative.