For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the de‑facto platforms for game creation, powering roughly seventy percent of the titles that appeared on Steam in 2025. While open‑source alternatives such as Godot have gained traction and some studios continue to rely on proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a notable example—the market has largely been dominated by the two giants. Against this backdrop, three seasoned industry veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—have decided that there is still room for a fresh approach. Their startup, Immens, aims to build a next‑generation, AI‑enhanced game engine that can break the costly, time‑intensive cycle that many developers currently endure.
The trio’s résumés read like a roll‑call of elite studios: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new engine because "the tools that existed a couple of years ago simply aren’t sufficient anymore." He believes that AI‑assisted programming now makes it feasible to start from a clean slate while still delivering a fully functional product quickly, provided the right amount of guidance and control is built into the system. Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, is quick to clarify that the AI component is not about generating content from a single prompt, as popular hype often suggests.
Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible. "AI can reason over large codebases and data sets very well," he said.
"If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even a solo developer or a tiny team can add custom features—like a bespoke particle system—without being limited to a handful of scripting tools. The AI helps you extend the engine faster, not replace the creative process." The motivation behind Immens is also rooted in the current economic climate of game development. Brussee describes the environment as "rough" and warns that production costs keep climbing, making it harder for studios to survive.
"We need new ways of working that lower expenses and allow smaller teams to ship high‑quality games faster," he argued. The goal is to reduce financial risk for developers, enabling them to pursue more ambitious ideas without the looming threat of bankruptcy. De Jong, the chief product officer, points out that the engine market 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 the "monolithic approach" of existing engines, where developers must conform to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows. With AI, Immens intends to give users an engine that adapts to them, allowing for interchangeable modules, custom tools, and personalized interfaces that match each developer’s workflow. Valient acknowledges that AI is a double‑edged sword.
"It’s incredibly powerful, but it can also go off the rails if you’re not paying attention," he cautioned. To keep developers in the driver’s seat, Immens logs every AI decision, making the process transparent and repeatable.
This traceability means that a designer could, for example, generate five unique characters with specific traits in the time it takes to sip coffee, then discard the temporary tool once the job is done—something that would have taken weeks in a traditional pipeline. Flexibility is a core design principle for Immens. De Jong stresses that the engine does not enforce a single workflow; users can decide how much AI to incorporate and where.
The architecture is built on open standards, meaning that text‑based files can be read and edited by any compatible software. "If you want to plug in Blender, Maya, or any generative‑AI tool, you can, because everything talks the same language," Brussee explained. This openness contrasts with many current engines that act as closed ecosystems, hindering seamless integration with third‑party tools. The conversation around AI in game development is polarized.
Some commentators on platforms like LinkedIn claim that future engines will allow anyone to produce Grand‑Theft‑Auto‑scale experiences with a single prompt. Immens’ team sees that vision as a distant possibility but insists that AI should be treated as a tool, not a replacement for human creativity. "AI will make everyone better, not eliminate the need for skilled developers," Valient said. He also warned that, like any powerful technology, AI can be misused, and the industry bears responsibility for steering it toward productive ends.
Economic concerns also loom large. Critics argue that the AI boom may be a bubble with inflated valuations.
Valient counters that, even if a bubble bursts, the underlying technology will persist—just as the internet survived the dot‑com crash. "We’re focused on building a solid engine; AI simply accelerates our development and expands what we can imagine," he noted.
Whether the market is overheated remains uncertain, but Immens is betting on the longevity of AI‑driven tools. Funding for Immens is still in its early stages. The founders have secured initial commitments but have not disclosed exact figures, describing the amount as "reasonable." Brussee warned against over‑funding, noting that excess capital can lead to complacency. The company remains deliberately lean—just the three founders and a handful of helpers—because building an engine is a complex task that benefits from focused, iterative decision‑making rather than a massive workforce.
Immens is currently developing 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 expectations; what was projected to take until the end of the year is now on track for a much earlier launch. As for the business model, Brussee admires Epic Games’ "we succeed when you succeed" philosophy but admits it is too early to define a concrete revenue strategy. Ultimately, the founders hope their engine will empower creators to push the boundaries of interactive entertainment.
"We love games and want to see more risk‑taking, more artistic expression," Brussee concluded. "If Immens can help make that happen, it would be amazing."