Unity and Unreal have long dominated the game‑development landscape, accounting for roughly 70% of all titles launched on Steam in 2025. While Godot has enjoyed a surge in popularity in recent years and some studios still rely on proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a notable example—the market has largely been a duopoly of the two giants. Enter Immens, a new venture founded by three industry veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient.
Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of modern game tech, spanning Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Together they argue that there is still space for a fresh engine, and that the next generation of tools should be built with artificial intelligence at its core.
In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right: “A few years ago this kind of engine simply didn’t exist. With AI‑assisted programming we can start from scratch again and deliver full‑featured systems much faster, while still keeping tight control over the process.” Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarified that the AI they envision isn’t the “prompt‑to‑image” hype that dominates headlines. Instead, it’s about constructing an engine architecture that is inherently extensible.
“AI can reason over massive codebases and data sets,” he said. “If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even a solo developer can plug in a custom particle system or a bespoke animation pipeline without wrestling with opaque scripting layers.” This approach aims to let creators use AI as a productivity multiplier, not as a replacement for thoughtful engineering. The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the current economic climate of game development, which Brussee describes as “rough.” Production budgets keep inflating, and the risk of financial ruin for small studios is rising.
“We need new ways of working that cut costs, shrink team sizes, and accelerate timelines,” he argued. “If AI can help us achieve that, we can break the cycle of ever‑increasing expenses and give indie creators a fighting chance.” De Jong, the company’s chief product officer, highlighted a broader industry trend: a “standardisation and consolidation” of engines that, while providing a solid foundation, also stifles innovation. “Continuing to do exactly what we’ve always done isn’t enough,” he said. “The market needs breakthrough ideas, not just incremental upgrades.” He criticized the monolithic nature of existing tools, where developers must adapt to proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines.
With AI, Immens aims to deliver an engine that bends to the user’s workflow rather than forcing the user to bend to the engine. Flexibility is a recurring theme.
De Jong envisions a system where developers can swap modules, append new features, and craft bespoke tools tailored to their personal habits and project requirements. “Imagine being able to design an interface with the exact shortcuts, panels, and shortcuts you need, then have the engine understand and respect those choices,” he explained. Valient also warned that AI, while powerful, can “go off the rails” if left unchecked.
Immens therefore prioritises transparency and control: users will always be able to see what the engine is doing, review its decision history, and reproduce results reliably. This auditability is crucial for creative pipelines where a designer might need to generate five characters with a specific trait in minutes—a task that previously could have taken weeks.
With AI‑assisted tools, that process becomes a rapid, iterative experiment, dramatically lowering costs. The architecture of Immens is deliberately agnostic.
It does not enforce a single workflow or dictate how much AI should be used; developers decide the balance that fits their project. The engine also embraces open standards, allowing seamless interoperability with common assets and tools such as Blender, Maya, or other generative platforms. “When files are text‑based, any program can read them,” Brussee noted. “That openness means the AI can parse and manipulate assets directly, creating a smarter, more connected pipeline.” There is a vocal backlash against AI in game development, often fueled by sensational claims that a single prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience.
Immens acknowledges the hype but treats AI as a tool, not a magic button. Valient believes that AI will ultimately make “big games and everything in between better” by augmenting human creativity rather than replacing it. De Jong echoed this, emphasizing responsible usage: “Any technology can be misused; it’s our duty to guide it toward positive outcomes.” Economic concerns also surface, with many questioning whether AI‑focused startups are part of a speculative bubble. Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, noting that while many companies vanished, the underlying internet persisted and thrived.
“We’re building a solid engine first; AI simply accelerates our development and expands our imagination,” he said. Whether the market is in a bubble remains uncertain, but Immens is focused on delivering tangible value rather than chasing hype. Funding details are still under wraps. The founders have secured “first commitments” but have not disclosed amounts, describing the target as “reasonable.” Brussee cautioned against excessive capital, noting that too much money can breed complacency: “Startups need to stay scrappy.” The team remains lean—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers—by design, allowing rapid decision‑making and focused iteration.
Immens is currently racing toward a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow. The goal is to release this demo within the month, a timeline that Brussee admits is “twice as fast as we originally expected.” This accelerated pace underscores the potential of AI to shorten development cycles dramatically. Regarding business models, Brussee admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” philosophy but admits it’s too early to commit to a specific approach. Ultimately, the team hopes their engine will empower creators to push artistic boundaries, take risks, and innovate without being shackled by prohibitive costs.
In summary, Immens seeks to combine the expertise of veteran developers with AI‑enhanced flexibility, open standards, and a developer‑first mindset. By doing so, they aim to break the entrenched cycle of rising budgets and shrinking margins, offering a fresh alternative for indie studios and perhaps, one day, reshaping the broader industry.