For many years, the game‑development landscape has been dominated by two heavyweight engines: Unity and Unreal. In fact, estimates suggest that around 70 % of the titles launched on Steam in 2025 were built with one of those platforms.
While open‑source options like Godot have begun to gain traction, and some large publishers continue to rely on proprietary solutions such as Capcom’s RE Engine, the market share remains heavily tilted toward the established duopoly. Enter Immersive Technologies, better known as Immens, a fledgling startup founded by three industry veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient. Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of modern game development, featuring stints at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple.
The trio believes that despite the entrenched position of Unity and Unreal, there is still room for a fresh engine that addresses the shortcomings they see in today’s tooling. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new engine because “the landscape has changed in ways that simply didn’t exist a few years ago.” He highlighted the emergence of AI‑assisted programming as a catalyst that could allow developers to start building projects from a clean slate, while still retaining enough guidance and control to deliver full‑featured experiences quickly. Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarified that the company’s use of AI is not about “prompt‑to‑content” gimmicks. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible.
“AI can reason over massive codebases and data sets,” he said. “If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even a solo developer or a tiny team can plug in custom systems—like a bespoke particle system—without being confined to a limited scripting layer.” This approach aims to give creators the freedom to extend the engine rapidly, using AI as an accelerator rather than a replacement for human ingenuity. The motivation behind Immens’s AI‑centric engine is rooted in the current economic pressures of the games market.
Brussee described the environment as “rough,” noting that development costs continue to climb, making it increasingly difficult for independent studios to survive. “We need new ways of working that lower budgets, shrink team sizes, and accelerate timelines,” he argued. The goal is to break the cycle where escalating expenses threaten the viability of studios and the livelihoods of their creators.
De Jong, the chief product officer, observed that the engine space has become overly standardized and consolidated. While that standardisation has provided a stable foundation, he believes the industry now requires genuine innovation. “Continuing to do things the way we always have is no longer sufficient,” he said. “We need a different paradigm—one that embraces flexibility and adaptability.” One of the pain points De Jong identified in existing engines is their monolithic nature.
Developers often have to conform to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows. With AI integration, Immens aims to flip that script, offering an engine that molds itself to the developer’s needs. “It has to be extremely flexible,” he explained.
“You should be able to swap components, add new tools, and tailor the interface to match exactly how you work.” For example, a developer could craft a custom editor with shortcuts and features that align perfectly with their project’s requirements, rather than wrestling with a one‑size‑fits‑all UI. Valient also warned that AI, while powerful, can quickly go off‑track if left unchecked. To mitigate this risk, Immens is building transparency into the engine: users will see what the AI is doing, retain a full history of its actions, and be able to reproduce results reliably.
This level of control is crucial for creative pipelines where a designer might need to generate five characters with specific traits in minutes—a task that previously could have taken weeks. “Now you can prototype while sipping coffee, use the tool a handful of times, and discard it when you’re done,” Valient said, emphasizing the cost‑saving potential. Flexibility extends to how much AI a developer chooses to employ. De Jong stressed that Immens does not enforce a single workflow; the architecture is deliberately open so teams can decide where AI fits into their pipeline.
“You decide how much AI you want, and where you want it,” he noted, adding that the engine must also ensure the AI interprets instructions correctly to avoid costly mistakes. Interoperability is another cornerstone of Immens’s design philosophy. By leveraging open standards and text‑based file formats, the engine can communicate seamlessly with popular tools such as Blender, Maya, and other generative software.
Brussee explained, “When files are text‑based, any program can read them. The AI can ingest those files and act on them, creating a smarter interface across the entire toolchain.” This openness contrasts with many proprietary engines that act as isolated islands, making cross‑application workflows cumbersome. The broader conversation around AI in game development is polarized. Some commentators on platforms like LinkedIn hype the notion of “click‑to‑game” engines that could produce Grand Theft Auto‑scale experiences from a single prompt.
Immens’s team acknowledges the hype but frames AI as a tool, not a magic wand. Valient believes AI will ultimately elevate the quality of both blockbuster and indie titles by making creators more capable, even though the technology currently carries a “negative connotation” due to its disruptive speed.
Economic anxieties also swirl around the AI boom, with fears of a bubble and inflated valuations. Valient drew parallels to the dot‑com era, noting that while many companies will fall, the underlying technology persists.
“AI isn’t disappearing; it’s here to stay. The internet survived its bubble, and so will AI,” he asserted, emphasizing Immens’s focus on building a solid engine rather than chasing speculative hype. Funding-wise, Immens has secured its “first commitments” but has not disclosed amounts, describing the capital they seek as “reasonable.” Brussee cautioned against over‑funding, noting that excess cash can breed complacency.
The startup remains deliberately lean, consisting of the three founders and a handful of helpers. De Jong explained the delicate balance: a game engine is a complex undertaking that cannot be solved by simply throwing a million developers at it, yet a small, focused team can iterate faster and seize the current window of opportunity created by AI’s rise. Immens is currently developing a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow. The team aims to release this demo within the month, already having accelerated their timeline by roughly 50 % compared to initial estimates.
When asked about the business model, Brussee referenced Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” licensing approach but admitted it is still early to make definitive statements. Ultimately, the founders hope Immens will empower creators to push the artistic and technical boundaries of games.
“We love games and want to see more risk‑taking and creativity,” Brussee concluded. “If our technology can help developers build more innovative experiences, that would be amazing.”