For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces in game development, powering roughly 70% of the titles released on Steam in 2025. While Godot has made notable strides recently and large studios continue to rely on proprietary solutions such as Capcom’s RE Engine, the market for game engines has largely been locked into the duopoly of Unity and Unreal. Enter Immersive (Immens), a new venture founded by three seasoned veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—who believe there is still space for a fresh engine that addresses the shortcomings of the status quo.
Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of the industry: experience at Epic Games, the creators of Unreal; stints at Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Together they are set 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 couple of years ago simply aren’t sufficient anymore.” He argues that AI‑assisted programming now makes it possible to start building from a clean slate while still retaining tight guidance and control. “You can get full‑featured functionality up quickly when you have AI helping you structure the code,” he said.
Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarified that the AI they employ is not the sort of “prompt‑to‑content” magic that dominates headlines. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible. “If we design the engine with AI reasoning in mind, even a solo developer can add a custom particle system or a bespoke gameplay mechanic without wrestling with opaque scripting layers,” he explained. The goal is to let creators extend the engine faster, using AI as a productivity partner rather than a replacement for thoughtful engineering.
The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the current economic climate of the games sector, which Brussee describes as “rough.” Development costs continue to climb, making it increasingly difficult for small teams to break even. “We need new ways of working that lower budgets, shrink team sizes, and accelerate timelines, otherwise studios risk their very survival,” he warned.
De Jong, the chief product officer, pointed out that the engine landscape has become overly standardized and consolidated. While that consolidation has given developers a solid foundation, it also stifles innovation. “The industry now faces a series of challenges, and simply repeating the old methods isn’t enough. We need genuine innovation, not just more of the same,” he asserted.
One of the pain points De Jong highlighted is the monolithic nature of existing engines. Developers are forced to adapt to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows.
With AI, Immens aims to flip that model: the engine should adapt to the developer. “Flexibility is key. You should be able to swap components, append new features, and build tools that match your personal workflow—exact shortcuts, interfaces, and everything else you need for your project,” he said. Valient also cautioned that AI, while powerful, can behave unpredictably if left unchecked.
Immens therefore emphasizes transparency and control: users can see exactly what the engine is doing, review its history, and ensure repeatable results. This level of oversight allows developers to create throw‑away tools for specific tasks—like generating five characters with a unique trait in minutes—without incurring the massive costs traditionally associated with such pipelines.
The architecture of Immens is deliberately open. The team plans to rely on text‑based, open‑standard file formats so that any tool—Blender, Maya, or a future generative‑AI application—can read and write data without friction.
“When files are human‑readable, the AI can manipulate them directly, enabling smarter integration across the whole toolchain,” Brussee noted. This openness contrasts with many proprietary engines that act as closed ecosystems, hindering interoperability. There is a vocal backlash against AI in game development, often fueled by sensational claims that a single prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience. Immens’ founders acknowledge the hype but view AI as a tool rather than a replacement for craftsmanship.
“One day we might see ‘click‑to‑game’ engines, but for now AI is a productivity enhancer that makes everyone better,” Valient said. De Jong added that, like any technology, AI can be used responsibly or irresponsibly, and the industry must steward its use wisely.
Economic concerns also swirl around AI, with many fearing a speculative bubble. Valient compared the situation to the dot‑com era: “The internet didn’t disappear after the bubble burst; the weak companies fell, but the core technology endured. We’re building a solid engine; AI just accelerates our development and expands our imagination.” Funding for Immens remains modest. The founders have secured initial commitments but have not disclosed amounts, describing the target as “reasonable.” Brussee warned against over‑funding, noting that excess capital can breed complacency.
“Startups need to stay scrappy; too much money can make you lazy,” he joked. The company remains a tiny team—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers—by design. De Jong explained that building an engine is a complex, nuanced effort that cannot be rushed by throwing a large staff at it.
“We need a focused, iterative team to make the right decisions at the right time, especially as we chase a narrow window of opportunity created by AI’s rise,” he said. Immens is currently developing a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow, slated for release later this month. Brussee revealed that the project, which began in April, is already moving twice as fast as initially projected, underscoring the speed gains the team expects from AI integration. As for the business model, Immens is still exploring options.
While they appreciate Epic Games’ “we succeed when you succeed” licensing philosophy, they admit it’s too early to commit to a specific approach. Ultimately, the founders hope their engine will empower creators to push the medium forward. “We love games and want to see more daring, artistic expression.
If our technology enables more risk‑taking and innovation, that would be amazing,” Brussee concluded.