For years, Unity and Unreal have reigned supreme in game development, accounting for roughly 70% of Steam releases projected for 2025. While open‑source alternatives like Godot have gained traction and some studios cling to proprietary tools such as Capcom’s RE Engine, the market has largely been a duopoly.
Into this landscape step three seasoned veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—who have teamed up to launch Immens, an AI‑enhanced game engine that aims to break the cycle of ever‑rising costs and dwindling creative freedom. The founders’ résumés read like a who’s‑who of the industry: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Their collective belief is that the status quo still leaves room for a fresh approach. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee argued that the timing is right for a new engine because “the tools that didn’t exist a couple of years ago are now within reach thanks to AI‑supported programming.” He envisions a platform where developers can start from a clean slate, receive guided assistance, and rapidly assemble fully functional prototypes.
Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI component is not about generating content from a single prompt. Instead, it is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible. “AI can reason over massive code and data sets,” he explains. “If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even a solo developer can plug in a custom particle system, a bespoke animation pipeline, or any other feature without being confined to a limited scripting layer.” This philosophy positions AI as a productivity multiplier, allowing teams to iterate faster while retaining full control over the underlying systems.
The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the current economic pressures of game development. Brussee describes the environment as “rough,” noting that production budgets are ballooning and the risk of failure is mounting.
He asks, “How can we break out of that cycle? Can we discover more efficient workflows that let smaller teams deliver high‑quality experiences on tighter budgets?” De Jong, the chief product officer, echoes this sentiment, pointing out that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated. “Standardisation gave us a solid foundation, but now the industry needs genuine innovation, not just another iteration of the same monolithic tools,” he says.
A key criticism of existing engines is their monolithic nature: developers must adapt to proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines. Immens aims to flip that script by offering a flexible, modular system that can be reshaped to fit each project’s unique needs.
De Jong illustrates this with a personal example: “I can build tools that match my workflow down to the exact shortcuts, UI layout, and feature set my team requires.” This level of customization, powered by AI‑assisted code generation, promises to reduce the time spent on boilerplate tasks and free creators to focus on design and storytelling. Valient acknowledges AI’s double‑edged sword.
While the technology is “really powerful,” it can also “go off the rails quickly if you don’t monitor it.” Immens therefore embeds transparency and auditability into its workflow. Users can trace every AI‑suggested change, understand its provenance, and repeat the process reliably.
This safeguards the creative process, allowing developers to prototype, for instance, five distinct characters with specific traits in the time it would previously have taken weeks—perhaps even while sipping coffee. Flexibility extends beyond internal tooling. Immens is being built on open standards, meaning that assets stored as plain‑text files can be read and manipulated by any compatible software. Brussee notes that this openness enables seamless integration with industry staples such as Blender, Maya, or other generative tools.
“When everything speaks the same language, you can plug in whatever you need without fighting against a closed‑source engine,” he says. The conversation around AI in game development is polarized.
Some commentators hype a future where a single prompt can spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale world, while others warn of ethical pitfalls. Immens’ team positions AI as a “tool,” not a replacement for human creativity. Valient believes AI will make developers better, not obsolete, and stresses the responsibility of the industry to wield it responsibly.
De Jong adds that any technology can be misused, but it is up to creators to ensure it serves constructive purposes. Economic anxieties also loom. Critics label the AI boom a bubble, drawing parallels to the dot‑com era. Valient counters that while valuations may fluctuate, the underlying technology is here to stay.
“The internet didn’t disappear after the bubble burst; the weak companies did. Good products survive,” he asserts.
Immens is focused on building a solid engine first, using AI to accelerate development and inspire bigger ambitions. Funding remains modest. The founders have secured “first commitments” but have not disclosed amounts, emphasizing that excessive capital can breed complacency. Brussee jokes that too much money makes a startup lazy, while De Jong stresses the need for a lean, focused team to make critical decisions without the overhead of a massive staff.
Immens is currently targeting 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 a year is now on track for a few months—demonstrating the very speed gains the engine promises. Regarding the business model, Brussee admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” licensing approach but admits it’s too early to commit to a specific strategy.
Ultimately, the founders hope Immens will empower creators to push the medium forward, encouraging risk‑taking and artistic expression. As Brussee puts it, “We love games, we love the complex art form, and we want to see more innovation built on technology like this. That would be amazing.”