For years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces in game creation, accounting for roughly 70% of all titles launched on Steam in 2025. While open‑source options like Godot have gained traction and some studios cling to proprietary solutions such as Capcom’s RE Engine, the market has largely been a duopoly. Yet three seasoned industry veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—believe there is still space for a fresh approach.
Their startup, Immens, aims to introduce an AI‑enhanced engine that challenges the status quo and offers a more flexible, cost‑effective workflow for smaller teams. The founders bring a heavyweight résumé: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee argued that the timing is ripe for a new engine that simply didn’t exist a few years ago. "With AI‑assisted programming, you can start building from scratch again," he said.
"Guided, yet controllable, development lets you achieve full functionality much faster." Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarified that the AI they employ isn’t the kind of generative prompt‑to‑content hype that dominates headlines. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible.
"If we design the engine with AI reasoning in mind, even solo developers can add custom systems—like a bespoke particle effect—without being limited to simple scripting," he explained. "The goal is to let creators extend the engine quickly and safely." The motivation behind Immens stems from what Brussee describes as a "rough" market environment.
Game development costs keep climbing, making it harder for studios to break even. "We need new, more efficient ways of working to lower budgets, reduce team size, and speed up production," he warned. De Jong, the chief product officer, echoed this sentiment, noting that the engine space has become overly standardized and consolidated.
While standardization provides a solid foundation, the industry now requires genuine innovation rather than incremental tweaks. One pain point De Jong highlighted is the monolithic nature of existing engines. Developers must adapt to proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines, which can stifle creativity. By contrast, an AI‑aware engine could reshape itself around the developer’s needs.
"Flexibility is key," he said. "You should be able to swap modules, append new tools, and craft interfaces that match your workflow exactly.
If I need a custom shortcut or a specialized UI for my team, the engine should let me build it without fighting the underlying system." Valient acknowledged AI’s double‑edged sword: it is immensely powerful but can veer off course if left unchecked. Immens therefore emphasizes transparency and control.
"When you use our engine, you always know what it’s doing, you can trace its history, and you can reproduce results reliably," he said. This deterministic approach allows developers to create disposable tools for specific tasks—like generating five characters with a particular trait in minutes rather than weeks—without sacrificing repeatability. Immens is deliberately built to avoid imposing a single workflow. De Jong stressed that the framework is modular, letting users decide how much AI to incorporate and where.
The architecture also leans on open standards, ensuring smooth interoperability with popular tools such as Blender, Maya, or other generative pipelines. "Text‑based file formats mean any software can read and write them," Brussee noted. "When the AI can parse those files, we unlock smarter, more fluid integrations across the entire production stack." The broader AI debate in game development is heated.
Some commentators on LinkedIn hype "click‑to‑game" promises, suggesting that a single prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience. Immens’ team is more measured. While they see a future where engines become increasingly automated, they view AI primarily as an accelerator for human creativity, not a replacement. "AI will make everyone better, but it remains a tool," Valient affirmed.
"Like any technology, it can be misused, but it’s our responsibility to steer it toward positive outcomes." Economic concerns also swirl around AI, with many fearing a speculative bubble. Valient compared the situation to the dot‑com era: the internet didn’t disappear when the bubble burst; instead, the strongest companies survived and thrived. "We’re focused on building a solid engine first.
AI helps us iterate faster and dream bigger, but the core product must stand on its own merits," he said. Whether the market is overheated remains uncertain, but Immens plans to stay pragmatic. Funding details are still under wraps. The founders have secured initial commitments but haven’t disclosed amounts, describing the needed capital as "reasonable." Brussee warned against over‑funding, noting that excess cash can breed complacency.
"Startups need to stay scrappy," he laughed. The team remains tiny—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers—by design. De Jong explained the trade‑off: a massive crew doesn’t guarantee success in building a complex engine; a focused, lean group can make thoughtful decisions and iterate quickly.
Immens is currently racing toward a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing flow. The prototype is slated for release this month, already delivering results twice as fast as the original timeline projected when the company launched in April. "Timelines are fluid in this space," Brussee admitted, "but the speed we’re seeing validates our approach." Regarding the business model, Immens admires Epic Games’ philosophy of succeeding when developers succeed, yet it remains too early to formalize pricing or licensing structures.
The ultimate ambition, according to Brussee, is to empower creators to push the medium forward. "We love games as an art form and want to see more risk‑taking, more creativity.
If our technology can help bring daring, innovative experiences to life, that would be amazing."