For years, Unity and Unreal have been the go‑to platforms for game creators, accounting for roughly 70% of all Steam releases projected for 2025. While open‑source options like Godot have gained traction and some studios continue to rely on proprietary tools such as Capcom’s RE Engine, the market has largely been a duopoly dominated by the two giants. Against this backdrop, three seasoned developers—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—have launched Immersive (Immens), a new AI‑enhanced engine that they believe can carve out a fresh niche. The founders bring a résumé that reads 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 background gives them a unique perspective on why the status quo may no longer serve today’s developers. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee argued that the timing is ripe for a new engine because “the tools that existed a couple of years ago simply aren’t enough anymore.” He sees AI‑assisted programming as a catalyst that can let teams start from a clean slate and achieve functional prototypes much more quickly.
Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI they are integrating is not the flashy “prompt‑to‑content” gimmick that dominates headlines. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible.
"AI can reason over large codebases 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 or a bespoke animation tool without wrestling with low‑level scripting.
The AI simply helps you extend the engine faster and more safely." The motivation behind Immens is also economic. Brussee describes the current development climate as “rough” and unsustainable.
Production budgets are ballooning, and small studios risk their entire livelihood on projects that may never see a return. "We need new ways of working that lower costs, shrink team sizes, and accelerate timelines," he says.
The promise of AI‑driven automation, from asset generation to iterative testing, is positioned as a way to break the cycle of ever‑increasing expense. De Jong, the chief product officer, points out that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated.
While this has produced stable foundations, it also stifles innovation. "We’re at a point where the industry faces multiple challenges, and repeating the same processes won’t solve them," he argues.
He criticises the monolithic nature of existing engines, which force developers to conform to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows. With Immens, the goal is to deliver a flexible platform that adapts to the creator’s needs, allowing them to swap modules, append new features, and craft personalized toolsets with precise shortcuts, interfaces, and shortcuts tailored to each project.
Valient acknowledges that AI is powerful but can be unpredictable if left unchecked. To mitigate this, Immens is built around transparency and user control.
Every AI action is logged, making the process repeatable and auditable. This level of oversight means developers can trust the engine to execute tasks—such as generating a set of characters with specific traits—in a predictable manner, turning what once took weeks into a coffee‑break exercise. Flexibility is a core design principle.
De Jong emphasizes that Immens does not impose a single workflow; instead, it offers a scaffold that teams can shape as they see fit, deciding how much AI to involve and where. Open standards are another pillar of the architecture. By relying on text‑based file formats, Immens can interoperate seamlessly with tools like Blender, Maya, or any generative‑AI pipeline.
"If everything speaks the same language, you can plug in any software without the usual friction," Brussee notes. This openness contrasts sharply with the closed ecosystems of many current engines, which often act as barriers to cross‑tool collaboration. The broader AI debate in game development is heated.
Some pundits on LinkedIn hype the notion of “click‑to‑game” engines that could spawn Grand‑Theft‑Auto‑scale experiences from a single prompt. Immens’ team tempers those expectations, insisting that AI should be viewed as a powerful assistant rather than a magic wand. "AI makes everyone better, but it’s still a tool," Valient says. De Jong adds that responsible usage is essential; any technology can be misused, and the industry must steward AI wisely.
Economic concerns also swirl around AI, with fears of a speculative bubble. Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, arguing that while many companies will fall, the underlying technology endures. "AI isn’t disappearing; it’s becoming the infrastructure of future software, just as the internet did," he explains. Immens is focused on delivering a solid product first, using AI to accelerate development and inspire bigger creative visions.
Funding remains modest. Immens has secured its "first commitments" but has not disclosed amounts, describing the capital as "reasonable". Brussee warns against over‑funding, noting that excess cash can breed complacency. The startup deliberately stays lean—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers—to maintain agility and keep decision‑making tight.
Balancing team size with ambition is a delicate act. De Jong observes that building an engine is a complex, long‑term endeavour that cannot be solved by throwing a million developers at the problem. A small, focused group can iterate, make critical design choices, and stay aligned with the narrow window of opportunity presented by the AI wave. Immens is currently 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. Brussee admits that predicting exact milestones is difficult when the technology moves this fast.
The business model is still under discussion. While Immens admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” licensing philosophy, they consider it too early to commit to a specific revenue structure. Ultimately, the founders hope their engine will empower creators to push artistic boundaries, take risks, and deliver innovative experiences that move the medium forward. "We love games and want to see more creativity and risk‑taking," Brussee concludes.
"If our tech can help make that happen, it would be amazing."