For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces in game creation, accounting for roughly 70% of Steam releases in 2025. While Godot has made notable strides recently and some large studios cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the market has largely been monopolized by these two giants. Amid this landscape, three seasoned industry veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—have launched Immens, a new AI‑enhanced engine that they believe can carve out a fresh niche. The founders bring an impressive résumé: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple.
Their combined background gives them a unique perspective on both the technical and business challenges of modern game development. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new engine, noting that “an opportunity now exists that didn’t exist a few years ago.” He argues that AI‑assisted programming can finally let developers start from a clean slate, offering rapid, full‑featured functionality under tight guidance. Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, is quick to clarify that the AI they employ is not the “prompt‑to‑output” hype that dominates headlines. Instead, their AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible.
“AI can reason about massive codebases and data,” he says. “If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even solo developers or tiny teams can plug in custom systems—like a bespoke particle effect—without being confined to a limited scripting layer.” This approach aims to give creators the power to extend the engine quickly, turning AI into a productivity catalyst rather than a magic wand. The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the current state of the games market, which Brussee describes as “rough.” Development costs are soaring, making it increasingly difficult for independent studios to survive.
“We need new ways of working that lower costs, shrink team sizes, and speed up timelines,” he asserts. The goal is to break the cycle where financial risk threatens the very existence of studios and their creators. De Jong, the chief product officer, points out that the engine space has become overly standardized and consolidated. While this has provided a stable foundation, it also stifles innovation.
“The industry now faces a series of challenges, and repeating the old playbook won’t solve them,” he says. “We need innovation, not more standardisation.” He criticises the monolithic nature of current engines, where developers must adapt to rigid, proprietary file formats.
With AI, Immens intends to deliver an engine that molds itself to the developer’s workflow. Flexibility is a core tenet of Immens. De Jong envisions a system where users can swap, append, or modify components at will, crafting bespoke tools that match their personal habits and project demands. “I can build an interface with exactly the shortcuts, features, and layout my team needs,” he explains.
This level of customization, powered by AI, should empower creators to iterate faster and more precisely. Valient acknowledges that AI is a double‑edged sword. While it is “really powerful,” it can also veer off‑track if left unchecked.
To mitigate this, Immens is built to keep developers in the driver’s seat. “You always know what the engine is doing, you can review its history, and you can reproduce results reliably,” he notes. This transparency is crucial for creating repeatable pipelines, especially when rapid prototyping—such as generating five unique characters over a coffee break—becomes feasible. The engine’s architecture deliberately avoids imposing a single workflow.
De Jong stresses that the framework is open‑ended: “You decide how much AI you want to use and where you apply it.” This modularity also extends to interoperability. Immens embraces open standards, allowing text‑based files to be read and manipulated by any tool. “If you’re using Blender, Maya, or any generative system, you can plug it in because everything talks the same language,” Brussee says.
This openness contrasts with many existing engines that act as closed ecosystems, hindering seamless integration. There is a growing backlash against AI in game development, fueled by sensational claims that a simple prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience. Immens’s team tempers such hype, positioning AI as a powerful assistant rather than a replacement for human creativity. “One day we might see ‘click‑to‑game’ engines, but for now AI is a tool that makes everyone better,” Valient explains.
He stresses the responsibility of the industry to wield AI responsibly, acknowledging that any technology can be misused. Economic concerns also loom large. Critics warn that AI‑focused startups could be part of a bubble, inflating valuations without solid fundamentals.
Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era: “The internet didn’t disappear; many over‑hyped companies fell, but the underlying tech survived.” Immens aims to build a genuinely useful engine, using AI to accelerate development and inspire bigger dreams, regardless of market fluctuations. Funding remains modest.
The founders have secured “first commitments” but have not disclosed amounts, describing the target as “reasonable.” Brussee warns against excessive capital, noting that too much money can breed complacency. Immens remains a lean operation—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers—by design. De Jong explains the delicate balance: a game engine is complex and cannot be built by a massive team overnight, yet timing is critical to capture the window of AI‑driven opportunity.
Currently, Immens is racing toward a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI editing flow, slated for release this month. The timeline has already outpaced initial expectations; what was projected for year‑end is now arriving roughly twice as fast. While the business model is still being refined, Brussee admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” philosophy but admits it’s too early for concrete commitments. Ultimately, the trio hopes Immens will enable creators to push the artistic envelope, encouraging risk‑taking and innovation.
“We love games and want to see more complex expressions of the medium,” Brussee says. “If our technology can help bring more daring, creative projects to life, that would be amazing.”