For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the go‑to tools for game creators, accounting for roughly 70 % of all Steam releases in 2025. While Godot has gained traction and some studios cling to proprietary solutions like Capcom’s RE Engine, the market has largely been a duopoly. Against this backdrop, three seasoned developers—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—have launched Immens, a new engine that they believe can break the status quo.
The three founders bring a résumé that reads like a who’s‑who of the industry: experience at Epic Games (the makers of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, Apple, and several other high‑profile studios. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee argued that the timing is now right for a fresh engine, noting that "a few years ago the kind of platform we envision didn’t exist." According to Brussee, the secret sauce is AI‑assisted programming.
He suggests that with modern AI tools, developers can start "building things from scratch again" while still retaining tight guidance and control. This isn’t the hype‑driven "prompt‑to‑asset" AI that many fear; instead, it is an engine architecture designed to be highly extensible. Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, explains that the AI component is meant to understand the codebase deeply, allowing even solo developers to add custom systems—such as a bespoke particle engine—without wrestling with opaque scripting layers. The motivation for Immens stems from what the founders describe as a "rough" market environment.
Game production costs are soaring, making it increasingly difficult for small teams to survive. Brussee emphasizes the need to "break out of that cycle" by finding more efficient workflows that reduce budgets and timelines, thereby lowering the personal and financial risk for creators. De Jong, the chief product officer, points out that the engine space has become overly standardized and consolidated.
While this has provided a solid foundation, he argues that the industry now needs genuine innovation rather than more of the same. He criticizes existing engines for their monolithic nature—requiring developers to adapt to proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines.
With AI, Immens aims to flip that model, offering a flexible platform that can be reshaped to suit individual project needs. De Jong envisions a system where users can swap, append, or modify components and even craft tailor‑made tools that match their personal workflows, shortcuts, and interface preferences. Valient acknowledges AI’s power but also its volatility. He stresses that Immens will keep users in the driver’s seat, providing full visibility into the engine’s actions and a reproducible history of changes.
This transparency is intended to prevent the "going off the rails" scenario that can occur when AI is left unchecked. By allowing developers to create disposable, purpose‑built tools—like a quick script to generate five characters with specific traits—Immers can dramatically cut down the time and expense traditionally required for such tasks. Flexibility is baked into Immens’ core design.
De Jong says the engine does not enforce a single workflow; instead, it offers a framework that lets teams decide how much AI to incorporate and where. The architecture also embraces open standards, meaning that files are stored in text‑based formats that any compatible software can read.
This openness facilitates seamless integration with popular tools such as Blender, Maya, or other generative pipelines, eliminating the interoperability headaches that often plague proprietary engines. The conversation around AI in game development is polarized. Some commentators on platforms like LinkedIn hype the idea of "click‑to‑game" experiences, claiming that a single prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale world. Immens’ team is more measured.
While they acknowledge that AI could eventually enable ultra‑rapid prototyping, they view the technology as a powerful assistant rather than a replacement for human creativity. Valient asserts that AI will make developers better, not obsolete, and that the industry bears responsibility for using it ethically. Economic concerns also swirl around AI, with many fearing a bubble of overvalued startups.
Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, noting that while many companies vanished, the underlying internet persisted and flourished. He believes that solid products—like a genuinely useful engine—will survive regardless of market hype. Immens has secured its "first commitments" for funding, though the founders have not disclosed exact figures, preferring to keep the amount "reasonable".
Brussee warns against excessive capital, suggesting that too much money can breed complacency and reduce the scrappy mindset needed for early‑stage innovation. The company remains tiny—essentially the three founders plus a handful of helpers—and intentionally so. De Jong explains that building a game engine is a complex undertaking that cannot be rushed by simply adding a million engineers.
A lean team allows for careful decision‑making and the ability to seize a narrow window of opportunity presented by the AI wave. Immens is currently targeting a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing flow, slated for release later this month. The timeline has already outpaced the founders’ original expectations; what was projected to take until year‑end is now arriving roughly twice as fast.
When asked about the business model, Brussee mentions admiration for Epic’s "you succeed when we succeed" licensing approach but admits it is too early to commit to a specific strategy. Ultimately, the trio hopes Immens will empower creators to push the boundaries of interactive art. "We love games and want to see more risk‑taking and creativity," says Brussee. "If our technology can help bring more innovative experiences to life, that would be amazing."