Unity and Unreal have long been the dominant forces in game development, powering roughly 70% of the titles released on Steam in 2025. While Godot has made notable strides in recent years and some studios cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the market has largely been a duopoly. Yet three seasoned veterans, Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient, have launched Immens with the conviction that there is still room for a fresh engine, and that it can be built better.
All three founders bring heavyweight résumés: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Their combined pedigree gives them a unique perspective on why the status quo feels increasingly restrictive.
In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new platform because “the tools that existed a couple of years ago simply aren’t sufficient for today’s ambitions.” He believes that AI‑augmented programming can restore the ability to start a project from a clean slate while still delivering full‑featured capabilities quickly. Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI they employ is not the “prompt‑and‑get‑a‑game” hype that circulates on social media. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible. "AI can reason over massive amounts of data and source code," he says.
"If we design the engine with that in mind, even a solo developer can add a custom particle system or a bespoke physics module without wrestling with opaque scripting layers. The AI simply assists the developer in extending the engine faster and more safely." The motivation behind this AI‑first approach stems from the harsh economic realities facing developers today. Brussee describes the current climate as “rough,” noting that production costs keep climbing and studios are forced to gamble larger sums on each project.
"We need new ways of working that lower risk, shrink budgets, and let smaller teams ship high‑quality games faster," he argues. The trio sees AI as a lever to break the cycle of ever‑inflating expenses. De Jong, Immens’ chief product officer, points out that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated.
While this has provided a stable foundation, it also stifles innovation. "The industry is at a crossroads," he says. "Continuing to iterate on the same monolithic engines won’t solve the challenges we face. We need a paradigm shift, not just another version of the same toolset." One of the pain points with existing engines is their monolithic nature.
Developers must conform to proprietary file formats and workflows that often feel forced. De Jong envisions an engine that adapts to the developer rather than the other way around.
"Flexibility is key," he explains. "You should be able to swap components, append new modules, or craft entirely custom tools that match your personal workflow. Imagine a UI that mirrors your own shortcuts, features, and interface preferences—tailored for your team’s specific project." Valient acknowledges that AI is a double‑edged sword.
While it is incredibly powerful, it can also veer off course if left unchecked. To mitigate this, Immens is built to keep the user in full control.
"You always see what the engine is doing, you can trace its decisions, and you can reproduce results reliably," he says. This transparency enables developers to create disposable, purpose‑built tools—like a quick script that generates five characters with a particular trait—without committing months of manual labor. What once cost a small studio a significant portion of its budget can now be prototyped over a coffee break. Immens deliberately avoids imposing a single workflow.
The architecture is modular, allowing teams to decide how much AI assistance they want and where to apply it. De Jong stresses that the framework must be robust enough to let developers pick and choose AI‑driven features while ensuring the underlying system understands the context correctly. Interoperability is another cornerstone of Immens’ design.
By embracing open standards and text‑based file formats, the engine can communicate seamlessly with popular tools such as Blender, Maya, or any generative‑AI pipeline. "When files are plain text, any program can read and manipulate them," Brussee notes.
This openness contrasts sharply with many proprietary engines that act as closed ecosystems, making integration cumbersome. The conversation around AI in game development is polarized.
Some commentators on platforms like LinkedIn sensationalize the notion that a simple prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience. Immens’ team acknowledges the hype but frames AI as a catalyst rather than a replacement. "One day we might see ‘click‑to‑game’ engines, but for now we view AI as a powerful tool that amplifies human creativity," says Valient. He adds that the current negative perception stems from the disruptive scale of AI, which is unprecedented in the industry.
Economic anxieties also surface, with many questioning whether the AI boom is a bubble. Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, noting that while numerous startups will fail, the underlying technology—like the internet—endures. "AI isn’t disappearing; it’s evolving. Our goal is to build a solid engine that leverages AI to speed development and broaden creative horizons.
Whether the market is in a bubble is uncertain, but history shows that valuable technology persists beyond speculative hype." Funding remains modest. Immens has secured its first commitments but has not disclosed exact figures, describing the amount as "reasonable." Brussee warns against over‑funding, noting that excess capital can breed complacency. "Startups need to stay scrappy; too much money can make you lazy," he laughs. The company remains lean—just the three founders and a handful of helpers.
This intentional size allows for rapid decision‑making and focused development. De Jong explains the trade‑off: a massive team does not guarantee faster progress on a complex engine, yet a minimal crew must still meet a narrow window of market opportunity created by AI’s rise. Balancing resources, timing, and talent is the core challenge they are navigating.
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, a timeline that has already outpaced their original end‑of‑year estimate.
"We’re moving twice as fast as we thought we would," Brussee remarks, highlighting the speed gains AI can deliver. Business model discussions are still early. While the founders admire Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” revenue share model, they admit it’s premature to commit to a specific approach.
The ultimate ambition, however, is clear: to empower creators to push the medium forward. "We love games and want to see more daring, artistic expressions," Brussee concludes. "If Immens can help developers take bigger creative risks and deliver innovative experiences, that would be amazing."