For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces in game development, accounting for roughly 70% of all titles released on Steam in 2025. While Godot has made notable strides recently and some large studios continue to rely on proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the market has largely been monopolized by the two giants.
Against this backdrop, three seasoned industry veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—have launched Immersive (Immens), a new engine that they believe can carve out a niche and push the status quo forward. Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of modern game development, with stints at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple.
Together, they are setting out to challenge the entrenched players. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a fresh engine: “There’s an opportunity now that didn’t exist a few years ago.
With AI‑assisted programming, you can start building from scratch again, under tight guidance, and get full‑featured tools up quickly.” Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI component is not about generating assets with a single prompt. Instead, it is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible. “AI can reason over massive codebases and data sets,” he says.
“If we design the engine with that in mind, even solo developers or tiny teams can plug in custom systems—like a bespoke particle system—without being confined to a limited scripting layer.” This philosophy aims to let creators harness AI to accelerate extensions rather than replace the creative process. The motivation for Immens stems from the current market climate, which Brussee describes as “rough.” Game development costs keep climbing, making it harder for small studios to survive.
“We need new ways of working that lower budgets, shrink team sizes, and speed up timelines,” he argues. The goal is to break the cycle where escalating expenses threaten a studio’s livelihood.
De Jong, the chief product officer, observes that the engine landscape has become overly standardized and consolidated. While this has produced a solid foundation, he believes the industry now requires genuine innovation.
“Continuing to do what we’ve always done isn’t enough,” he says. “We need a different approach, not just another monolithic engine that forces developers to adapt to its quirks.” Current engines often impose proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines, forcing developers to work around them.
De Jong envisions an engine that bends to the user’s needs, offering interchangeable components, appendable modules, and fully customizable toolsets. “I can build tools that match my exact workflow—shortcuts, UI layout, feature set—tailored to my team and project,” he explains. Valient acknowledges AI’s power and its pitfalls. “AI is incredibly capable, but it can go off the rails if you’re not vigilant.” Immens is being built so that developers remain in control, with full visibility into the engine’s actions and reproducible histories.
This transparency allows creators to craft bespoke solutions for specific problems—like generating five characters with a particular trait—in minutes rather than weeks, dramatically reducing cost. Flexibility is a core tenet of Immens. The engine does not dictate a single workflow; instead, it provides a modular architecture that lets users decide how much AI to incorporate and where. “The framework is set up so you can choose your level of AI assistance while ensuring the AI understands the context correctly,” De Jong notes.
Interoperability is another focus. By embracing open, text‑based standards, Immens can seamlessly exchange data with tools such as Blender, Maya, or other generative pipelines. “When files are human‑readable, any software can parse them,” Brussee says.
“That means the AI can read, modify, and output assets across the ecosystem without being locked into a proprietary format.” This openness addresses a long‑standing pain point where many engines act as isolated silos. The broader AI debate in game development is heated.
Some critics, especially on platforms like LinkedIn, warn of a future where a single prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience, fearing a “click‑to‑game” era. Immens’s team sees AI as a powerful tool rather than a replacement.
Valient asserts, “AI will make everyone better, but it remains a tool. Like any technology, it can be misused, but it also unlocks unprecedented creativity.” De Jong adds that responsible usage is an industry‑wide responsibility.
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: “The internet didn’t disappear after the bubble burst; many companies fell, but the underlying technology endured.
We’re building a solid engine; AI simply accelerates our development and expands what’s possible.” Funding remains modest. Immens has secured its “first commitments” but has not disclosed amounts, emphasizing that excessive capital can breed complacency. Brussee jokes, “Too much money makes you lazy; you lose the scrappy edge that drives innovation.” The team currently consists of the three founders plus a handful of helpers, deliberately staying lean to maintain agility. Balancing team size with ambition is a delicate act.
De Jong explains that building an engine is complex and cannot be rushed by simply adding personnel. “You need a small, focused group to make thoughtful decisions and iterate,” he says. At the same time, there is a narrow window of opportunity as AI reshapes the industry, and Immens aims to hit that sweet spot without over‑staffing. Immens is racing toward a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow.
The team expected this to take until year‑end, yet they are already on track to release the demo within the month, effectively halving their original timeline. Brussee attributes this speed to the AI‑centric design and the team’s lean structure. Regarding the business model, Immens admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” approach but admits it’s too early to commit to a specific revenue strategy.
The focus remains on delivering a compelling product that empowers developers. Ultimately, the founders hope Immens will spark a wave of creative risk‑taking in games. “We love games as an art form and want to see more daring, innovative experiences,” Brussee says. “If our technology can lower barriers and enable more creators to bring bold ideas to life, that would be amazing.”