For years, Unity and Unreal have been the de‑facto platforms for video‑game creation, accounting for roughly 70% of all Steam releases in 2025. While open‑source options like Godot have gained traction and some studios cling to proprietary tools such as Capcom’s RE Engine, the market has largely been a duopoly.
Yet three industry veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—believe there is still space for a fresh engine, and they see an opportunity to improve on the status quo. The trio’s résumé reads like a who’s‑who of modern game development: experience at Epic Games (the makers of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple.
Together they founded Immens, a startup that aims to build a new generation of game‑engine technology powered by artificial intelligence. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that “the moment is right to create an engine that simply didn’t exist a couple of years ago.” He argues that AI‑assisted programming can let developers start from a clean slate again, offering rapid, full‑featured builds under tight guidance and control. Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI they employ is not the flashy, prompt‑to‑output hype that dominates headlines.
Instead, the AI 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 a solo developer can plug in a custom particle system or any other feature without being limited to a narrow scripting layer.” This philosophy is central to Immens’ promise: give creators the tools to extend the engine quickly and safely, using AI as an accelerator rather than a replacement for thoughtful engineering. The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the current economic climate of game development.
Brussee describes the landscape as “rough,” noting that production costs keep climbing and the risk of failure is higher than ever. “We need new ways of working that cut expenses, shrink team sizes, and speed up timelines,” he asserts. The goal is to break the costly cycle that forces studios to gamble their livelihoods on ever‑larger budgets.
De Jong, Immens’ chief product officer, points out that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated. While that consolidation provides a solid foundation, it also stifles innovation.
“The industry now faces a slew of challenges, and simply repeating what we’ve always done won’t cut it,” he says. “We need a different approach—one that prioritises flexibility over monolithic design.” Current engines often force developers to adapt to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows. With AI, Immens aims to flip that dynamic, allowing the engine to mould itself around the developer’s needs. Flexibility, according to De Jong, means interchangeable modules, appendable features, and the ability to craft bespoke tools tailored to a team’s unique workflow.
He envisions a scenario where a developer can build a custom interface with exact shortcuts, features, and visual layouts that match their personal or project‑specific requirements. This level of customisation, he argues, is essential for fostering creativity without being shackled by a one‑size‑fits‑all engine. Valient acknowledges that AI is a double‑edged sword. While it is “really powerful,” it can also “go off the rails quickly if you don’t pay attention.” To mitigate this, Immens is built with transparency in mind: users can see exactly what the AI is doing, review its decision history, and ensure reproducibility.
This control enables developers to generate rapid prototypes—such as five characters with specific traits—in minutes rather than weeks, then discard the temporary tools once the job is done. The ability to iterate at such speed, Valient believes, is a game‑changer for small studios. Immens does not impose a single workflow.
De Jong stresses that the framework and architecture are deliberately open, letting teams decide how much AI to incorporate and where. The engine also embraces open standards, making it interoperable with popular tools like Blender, Maya, and other generative pipelines.
“When files are text‑based, any software can read them,” Brussee notes. “The AI can parse those files and act on them, creating a seamless bridge between different applications.” This openness contrasts with many existing engines that act as closed ecosystems, hindering cross‑tool collaboration. The broader industry conversation around AI is mixed.
Some commentators on LinkedIn hype “click‑to‑game” scenarios where a prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience. Immens’ founders temper such optimism, viewing AI as a powerful assistant rather than a magic wand.
Valient says, “Big games will still be made because AI makes everyone better, not because it replaces the craft.” De Jong adds that AI, like any tool, can be misused, but the responsibility lies with developers to apply it responsibly. Economic concerns also surface, with critics warning that AI‑centric startups may be part of a speculative bubble. Valient counters that while bubbles burst, the underlying technology persists—just as the internet survived the dot‑com crash.
“We’re focused on building a solid engine; AI simply helps us move faster and think bigger,” he explains. Whether the market is inflated remains uncertain, but Immens is betting on the longevity of AI as a development catalyst.
Funding details are still vague. Immens has secured “first commitments” but has not disclosed amounts, describing the needed capital as “reasonable.” Brussee warns against over‑funding, noting that excess cash can breed complacency and reduce the scrappy mindset essential for early‑stage innovation.
The company remains lean, consisting of the three founders and a handful of helpers, a deliberate choice to stay agile while tackling the complex task of building a new engine. Immens is currently targeting a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow, slated for release within the month. The timeline has already outpaced the founders’ original expectations—what they thought would take a year is now progressing at double speed.
While the ultimate business model is still under discussion, Brussee admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” licensing approach but admits it’s too early to commit. In the end, the trio hopes Immens will empower creators to push the boundaries of interactive art. “We love games and want to see more risk‑taking, more creativity,” Brussee says.
“If our technology can help bring innovative experiences to life, that would be amazing.”