Unity and Unreal have long held sway over the game‑development landscape, accounting for roughly 70% of all titles released on Steam in 2025. While open‑source alternatives like Godot have made notable strides in recent years and some studios cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine, for example—the duopoly of Unity and Unreal still dominates the market.
Enter Immens, the brainchild of three industry stalwarts—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—who believe there is still room for a fresh engine and, more importantly, for a better way to build games. 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.
United by a shared frustration with the status quo, they are setting out to challenge the entrenched giants. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new engine because “the tools that existed a few years ago simply aren’t enough anymore.” He argues that AI‑augmented programming now makes it feasible to start a project from a clean slate and still achieve full functionality quickly, provided developers retain strong guidance and control over the process.
Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI they are integrating is not the “prompt‑to‑output” gimmick that dominates headlines. 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 says.
“If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even a solo developer can add a custom particle system, a bespoke animation pipeline, or any other feature without being confined to a limited scripting layer.” This philosophy aims to give creators the ability to extend the engine rapidly, using AI as an accelerator rather than a crutch. The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the current economic realities of game development.
Brussee describes the market as “rough,” noting that production costs keep climbing and the risk of failure is higher than ever. “We need new ways of working that reduce budgets, shrink team sizes, and speed up delivery,” he says. “If we can break that costly cycle, studios won’t have to gamble their livelihoods on a single title.” De Jong, the chief product officer, adds that the engine space has become overly standardized and consolidated.
While that consolidation has provided a solid foundation, it has also stifled innovation. “The industry now faces a host of challenges—rising costs, talent shortages, and a monolithic approach to tooling,” he observes. “Continuing to do things the same way won’t solve anything.
We need a fundamentally different paradigm.” One of the key criticisms De Jong levels at existing engines is their monolithic nature. Developers are forced to adapt to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows.
With AI, Immens aims to flip that script, offering an engine that molds itself to the developer’s needs. “Flexibility is essential,” he explains.
“You should be able to swap components, append new modules, or build entirely custom tools that match your personal workflow—down to the exact shortcuts, UI layout, and feature set you require.” Valient acknowledges that AI is a double‑edged sword. While it is “really powerful,” it can also veer off course if left unchecked. Immens therefore emphasizes transparency and control: users can see exactly what the AI is doing, review its decision history, and ensure repeatable results.
This level of oversight is crucial for creating reliable pipelines, especially when rapid prototyping—such as generating five unique characters over a coffee break—becomes a reality. Immens is deliberately built to avoid imposing a single workflow. De Jong stresses that the framework and architecture are designed to let developers decide how much AI to incorporate and where. “You can use the engine as a traditional toolset, or you can lean heavily on AI for certain tasks,” he says.
“The key is that the AI must understand the context correctly, otherwise you end up with noise.” Interoperability is another cornerstone of Immens’ design. By adopting open, text‑based standards, the engine can communicate seamlessly with popular tools like Blender, Maya, or any generative‑AI pipeline. “When files are human‑readable, any system can parse them,” Brussee notes. “This opens the door for smarter interfaces and smoother pipelines, something that many proprietary engines still struggle with.” The broader conversation around AI in game development is often charged with hype and fear.
Some commentators on LinkedIn claim that future engines will let anyone conjure a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience with a single prompt. While Immens’ team entertains the notion of “click‑to‑game” possibilities, they stress that AI should remain a tool, not a replacement for creative judgment.
“AI will make everyone better, not replace the craft,” Valient asserts. “It’s disruptive, yes, but that disruption can lead to higher quality games if we handle it responsibly.” Economic anxieties also shadow the AI boom. Critics warn of a bubble with inflated valuations.
Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, arguing that while many companies will fall, the underlying technology endures. “AI isn’t disappearing; it’s evolving. The internet survived its bubble, and so will AI‑driven tools.
Our focus is on building a solid engine that leverages AI to speed up development and expand creative horizons.” Funding remains modest at this stage. Immens has secured its “first commitments” but has not disclosed exact figures, describing the amount as “reasonable.” Brussee cautions against over‑funding, noting that excess capital can breed complacency. “Startups need to stay scrappy,” he laughs. “Too much money can make you lazy.” The company remains a lean operation: the three founders plus a handful of helpers.
This intentional small size allows for rapid decision‑making and avoids the pitfalls of a massive, unwieldy team. De Jong explains the balancing act: “Building an engine is complex—you can’t throw a million engineers at it and expect miracles. You need a focused group that can iterate, learn, and make tough choices.
At the same time, you must be ready to seize the market window that AI is opening.” Immens is currently racing toward 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 dramatically. “When we started in April, we thought we’d be ready by year‑end,” Brussee recalls.
“We’re now twice as fast as anticipated, which makes it hard to predict exact milestones.” Business‑model discussions are still early. While Immens admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” revenue share, they admit it’s premature to commit to a specific approach. Ultimately, Brussee hopes the engine will empower creators to push the medium forward.
“We love games as an art form,” he says. “We want more risk‑taking, more creativity, and more innovation. If Immens can be the foundation for that next wave, it would be amazing.”