For years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces shaping the video‑game development landscape, accounting for roughly 70 % of the titles released on Steam in 2025. While open‑source alternatives like Godot have enjoyed notable growth, and some major studios continue to rely on proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the market has largely been locked into the duopoly of Unity and Unreal. Enter Immens, a fledgling venture founded by three industry veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient.
Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of game‑tech powerhouses, featuring stints at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Together they argue that there is still room for a fresh engine, and that the next generation of tools must address the shortcomings of today’s monolithic offerings. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new engine because “the technology that didn’t exist a couple of years ago is now within reach.” He highlighted AI‑assisted programming as a catalyst that can let developers start from a clean slate and achieve full‑featured functionality much more quickly than traditional pipelines allow.
Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarified that their use of AI is not about generating content from a single prompt, as many hype‑driven narratives suggest. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible.
“If we design the engine with AI in mind, even small teams or solo creators can plug in custom systems—say, a bespoke particle system—without wrestling with opaque scripting layers,” he said. This approach aims to let developers harness AI to accelerate extensions and iterations rather than replace the creative process.
The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the current economic pressures of game development. Brussee described the environment as “rough,” noting that production costs continue to climb, making it increasingly difficult for studios to break even.
He asked, “Can we discover new ways of working that lower costs, shrink team sizes, and shorten timelines, so developers aren’t risking everything on a single title?” De Jong, the chief product officer, pointed out that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated. While that consolidation provides a stable foundation, he believes the industry now needs genuine innovation, not more of the same.
He criticized the “monolithic approach” of existing engines, where developers must conform to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows. With AI, De Jong envisions an engine that adapts to the user, offering interchangeable components, custom toolchains, and interfaces tailored to a developer’s personal workflow. Flexibility is a core tenet of Immens.
De Jong emphasized that users should be able to “interchange, append, modify, and create their own tools” to suit the exact needs of a project. Whether it’s a shortcut that speeds up level design or a specialized UI for a particular art pipeline, the engine is meant to be a malleable canvas rather than a one‑size‑fits‑all solution. Valient also warned that AI, while powerful, can quickly go off‑track if left unchecked. To mitigate this, Immens is built to keep developers in the driver’s seat: the engine logs its actions, provides transparent histories, and ensures repeatable outcomes.
This level of control allows creators to generate, for example, five uniquely‑behaved characters in a matter of minutes—a task that previously might have taken weeks—then discard the temporary tooling once the job is done. Open standards play a crucial role in Immens’s design philosophy. Brussee noted that when files are stored in text‑based formats, any tool can read and manipulate them.
By embracing emerging open standards, Immens aims to interoperate seamlessly with popular software such as Blender, Maya, and other generative tools. This contrasts with many existing engines, which often act as closed ecosystems that hinder smooth data exchange. The broader conversation around AI in game development is polarized. Some commentators on platforms like LinkedIn predict a future where a single prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience.
Immens acknowledges the hype but treats AI as a “tool,” not a magic button. Valient believes AI will elevate the capabilities of all creators, saying, “Big games and everything in between will be made better because AI makes everyone more proficient.” Economic concerns also surface, especially regarding the hype‑driven valuations that characterize the current AI boom. Valient compared the situation to the dot‑com bubble, asserting that while many AI‑focused startups may falter, the underlying technology is here to stay. “We’re focused on building a solid engine; AI simply accelerates our development and lets us dream bigger,” he explained.
Funding remains modest. Immens has secured its “first commitments” but has not disclosed exact figures, describing the amount as “reasonable.” Brussee cautioned against over‑funding, noting that excess capital can breed complacency and reduce the scrappy mindset essential for a startup. The team itself is intentionally lean—just the three founders and a handful of helpers. De Jong explained that engine development is complex and benefits from a small, focused group that can make deliberate decisions without the overhead of a massive staff.
At the same time, they recognize a narrow window of opportunity as AI reshapes the industry, and they aim to balance sufficient resources with the agility of a small team. Immens is currently building a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow, slated for release later this month.
Brussee remarked that the project, which began in April, is already progressing twice as fast as initially projected, underscoring the speed gains they anticipate from AI integration. Regarding the business model, Brussee mentioned admiration for Epic Games’ “we succeed when you succeed” licensing philosophy but admitted it’s too early to commit to a specific approach. Ultimately, the founders hope Immens will empower developers to push creative boundaries, take risks, and deliver innovative experiences that advance the medium.
In their own words, “We love games, we love complex artistic expression, and we want to see more creativity and risk‑taking. If our technology can help make that happen, that would be amazing.”