For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the go‑to tools for game creators, accounting for roughly 70 % of all titles released on Steam in 2025. While open‑source alternatives such as Godot have gained traction and some studios continue to rely on proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the duopoly of Unity and Unreal still dominates the market. Enter Immersive, the brainchild of three industry stalwarts—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—who believe there is still space for a fresh engine that addresses the shortcomings of today’s offerings. Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of game development: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple.
Together they aim to challenge the status quo. 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‑assisted programming now makes it feasible to rebuild core systems from the ground up while keeping developers in tight control of the process. “With the right guidance you can assemble a fully‑functional engine quickly,” he said. Valient, Immersive’s chief technology officer, is quick to clarify that their use of AI is not the hype‑driven “prompt‑to‑content” approach that dominates headlines.
Instead, AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible. "AI can reason over massive codebases and data sets.
If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even a solo developer can add a custom particle system or a bespoke animation pipeline without rewriting large sections of the core," he explained. The goal is to let creators extend the engine faster, not replace them with a black‑box generator.
The motivation behind Immersive’s venture stems from the harsh economic reality of modern game production. Brussee describes the current climate as “rough”: development budgets are ballooning, and the risk of failure is higher than ever. “We need new ways of working that cut costs, shrink team sizes, and accelerate timelines,” he said. The team believes AI can be a lever for efficiency, enabling smaller studios to compete without jeopardizing their financial stability.
De Jong, the 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 is facing a host of challenges, and simply iterating on the same old tools won’t solve them,” he warned. He envisions a shift from monolithic, one‑size‑fits‑all engines to flexible platforms that adapt to a developer’s workflow. A key criticism of existing engines is their monolithic nature—developers must conform to proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines.
De Jong argues that AI can flip this script, allowing the engine to mold itself around the user’s needs. “You should be able to swap components, append new modules, and craft custom tools that match your exact workflow—down to the shortcuts and UI layout you prefer,” he said. Valient acknowledges AI’s power but also its volatility.
“If you don’t keep an eye on it, the system can go off the rails,” he cautioned. Immersive therefore builds transparency into the engine: users can see what the AI is doing, review its decision history, and ensure repeatable outcomes. This visibility, he says, turns a potentially opaque process into a reliable, controllable tool.
The team illustrates the impact with a simple example: generating five characters with a specific trait used to require weeks of manual work. With AI‑assisted tooling, a developer could prototype those assets over a coffee break, reuse the generated pipeline multiple times, and discard it when finished—dramatically reducing cost and time. Flexibility is baked into Immersive’s design philosophy. De Jong stresses that the engine does not impose a single workflow; developers decide how much AI to integrate and where.
“The architecture is modular so you can choose the level of automation that suits your project,” he explained. Interoperability is another pillar. By adopting open, text‑based standards, Immersive ensures that files can be read by any tool—whether it’s Blender, Maya, or a custom in‑house solution. Brussee notes that “the AI can parse these files and act on them, creating a seamless bridge between different software ecosystems.” This openness contrasts with many proprietary engines that lock users into closed formats.
The conversation around AI in game development is polarized. Some commentators on LinkedIn hype “click‑to‑game” engines that could produce Grand Theft Auto‑scale experiences from a single prompt.
Immersive’s founders see AI as a powerful assistant rather than a replacement for human creativity. Valient believes AI will elevate the entire industry: “Big games and indie projects alike will benefit because AI makes everyone better.” He also warns that the technology’s disruptive nature fuels negative perceptions, but stresses responsible use. Economic anxieties persist, especially regarding the possibility of an AI bubble.
Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, noting that while many companies vanished, the underlying internet survived and flourished. “AI isn’t going away. Some firms will fail, but the good ones—those that build solid products—will thrive,” he said.
Immersive’s focus remains on delivering a robust engine; AI merely accelerates their vision. Funding details remain vague. Immersive has secured its “first commitments” but has not disclosed amounts, describing them as “reasonable.” Brussee cautions against over‑funding, noting that excess capital can breed complacency.
The company deliberately stays lean—just the three founders and a handful of helpers—to retain agility and keep development focused. Balancing team size with ambition is a delicate act. De Jong explains that building an engine is a complex undertaking that cannot be solved by hiring a massive staff. “You need a small, dedicated team to make thoughtful decisions and iterate quickly,” he said.
At the same time, they must seize a narrow window of opportunity created by AI’s rise. Immersive is currently working on a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow, slated for release this month.
The timeline has already outpaced their original estimate: what they thought would take until year‑end is now arriving in half that time. Regarding the business model, Brussee admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” approach but admits it’s too early to commit to a specific strategy. Ultimately, he hopes Immersive’s technology will empower creators to push artistic boundaries and take risks.
“We love games and the complex artistic expressions they enable,” he concluded. “If our engine can help more developers innovate and create daring experiences, that would be amazing."