Unity and Unreal have long held sway over the game‑development landscape, accounting for roughly 70% of all Steam releases in 2025. While Godot has made notable gains in recent years and some studios still cling to proprietary tools—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the duopoly of Unity and Unreal remains largely unchallenged. Yet three industry veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—believe there is still room for a fresh engine that addresses the shortcomings of the status quo.
The founders of Immersive (Immens) bring a résumé that reads like a Who’s Who of modern gaming: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Their collective background fuels confidence that they can build a viable alternative to the entrenched giants. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee argued that the timing is now ideal for a new engine, one that simply did not exist a few years ago.
"With AI‑assisted programming we can start building from the ground up again," Brussee explained. "Guided by robust control mechanisms, we can deliver full‑featured capabilities much more quickly than before." Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarified that the AI they employ is not the flashy, prompt‑to‑output type that dominates headlines.
Instead, it serves as an extensibility engine. "AI can reason about massive codebases and data sets. By designing the engine with that in mind, even small teams or solo developers can plug in custom systems—like a bespoke particle system—without being confined to limited scripting layers," he said.
"Our goal is to let creators harness AI to extend the engine faster and more intuitively." The motivation behind this AI‑powered platform stems from the current climate of the games market, which Brussee describes as "rough." Development costs keep climbing, making it increasingly difficult for independent studios to survive. "We need new workflows that cut expenses, reduce team sizes, and accelerate timelines, so studios aren’t risking everything on a single title," he warned.
De Jong, Immens’s chief product officer, observed that the engine space has become overly standardized and consolidated. While this has given developers a solid foundation, the industry now faces a series of challenges that demand innovation rather than incremental improvements. "Continuing to do exactly what we’ve always done won’t solve the emerging problems," he asserted.
"We need a different approach." One of De Jong’s critiques of existing engines is their monolithic nature. Developers must adapt to proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines, limiting creativity.
With AI integration, Immens aims to become an engine that molds itself around the developer’s needs. "Flexibility is key," he noted.
"You should be able to swap components, append new features, and craft bespoke tools that match your workflow, shortcuts, and interface preferences." Valient also cautioned that AI, while powerful, can veer off course if left unchecked. Immens therefore places control firmly in the user’s hands. "You always see what the engine is doing, its decision history, and you can reproduce results reliably," he said. "Imagine needing five characters with a specific trait; previously this could take weeks of manual work.
With AI‑assisted tools, you could prototype the concept over coffee, reuse the tool a handful of times, and discard it afterward—dramatically cutting costs." The architecture of Immens is deliberately open‑ended. De Jong emphasized that the framework does not enforce a single workflow; developers decide how much AI to incorporate and where. This openness extends to file formats as well.
Brussee highlighted the advantage of text‑based assets: "When files are human‑readable, any tool—including AI—can parse and manipulate them. Open standards are emerging across the industry, enabling smoother interoperability with software like Blender, Maya, or other generative tools." Despite a vocal backlash against AI in game creation—some critics even predicting that a simple prompt could spawn Grand Theft Auto‑scale experiences—the Immens team views AI as a tool, not a magic button.
Valient believes that AI will elevate the entire ecosystem: "Big titles and indie projects alike will benefit because AI makes everyone more capable. The current negative perception stems from the disruptive scale we haven’t seen before." De Jong added a note of responsibility: "AI is a tool like any other. It can be misused, but it’s up to us to apply it responsibly and productively." Economic anxieties also swirl around AI, with many questioning whether the sector is a bubble.
Valient drew a parallel to the dot‑com era, noting that while many companies vanished, the underlying technology persisted and flourished. "We’re focused on building a solid engine; AI simply accelerates our development and lets us dream bigger. Whether the market is a bubble is uncertain, but history shows useful tech survives even when hype fades." Immens has not disclosed specific funding figures yet, though the founders mention having secured "first commitments" and seeking a "reasonable" amount of capital.
Brussee warned against excessive cash, noting that too much money can breed complacency. The team remains intentionally lean—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers—believing that a small, focused group can make decisive architectural choices without the overhead of a massive staff. Balancing team size with the complexity of building a game engine is a delicate act.
De Jong explained that throwing a million developers at the problem won’t magically solve it; instead, a small, iterative team can refine the engine thoughtfully while capitalizing on a narrow window of opportunity created by AI advancements. Immens is currently developing a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow. The team aims to release this demo within the month, already having accelerated their timeline dramatically—what they initially projected for the end of the year is now on track for much sooner.
Regarding business models, Brussee hinted at an alignment with Epic’s "we succeed when you succeed" philosophy but admitted it’s too early for concrete statements. Ultimately, the founders hope Immens will enable creators to push the medium forward, fostering more artistic risk‑taking and innovation.
"We love games and want to see more daring, expressive experiences," Brussee concluded. "If our technology can help make that happen, it would be amazing."