For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces in game development, accounting for roughly 70% of the titles released on Steam in 2025. While Godot has made notable strides recently and some large studios still rely on proprietary solutions such as Capcom’s RE Engine, the market has largely been locked into the two giants. Against this backdrop, three seasoned industry veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—have launched Immersive (Immens), a new AI‑enhanced engine that they believe can carve out a fresh niche.
The founders’ résumés read like a who’s‑who of modern game development: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, Apple, and other high‑profile studios. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee argued that the timing is ripe for a new engine that simply didn’t exist a few years ago. He explained that AI‑assisted programming now makes it possible to start building from a clean slate while still maintaining tight guidance and control, allowing developers to achieve full functionality much more quickly than before.
Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI they employ is not about “prompt‑and‑receive” magic. Instead, it is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible. He notes that AI can reason over large codebases and data sets, so if the engine is designed with that capability in mind, even solo developers or small teams can add custom features—such as a bespoke particle system—without being confined to a limited scripting layer.
In short, AI becomes a catalyst for rapid extension rather than a replacement for thoughtful engineering. The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the current economic climate of game making. Brussee describes the environment as "rough" and points out that development costs are spiralling, making it increasingly difficult for studios to stay afloat.
He asks whether new workflows can break this cycle, allowing teams to produce high‑quality games with fewer people, tighter budgets, and shorter timelines. De Jong, the chief product officer, echoes this sentiment, observing that the engine market has become standardized and consolidated. While that consolidation offers a solid foundation, it also stifles innovation.
He argues that the industry now needs fresh ideas, not more of the same monolithic solutions. According to De Jong, many existing engines force developers into a rigid, monolithic approach, complete with proprietary file formats and fixed pipelines. With AI, Immens aims to flip that model on its head, delivering an engine that adapts to the user’s workflow.
He envisions a system where developers can swap components, append new modules, and craft bespoke tools that match their personal preferences—down to shortcuts, UI layout, and feature sets—tailored for each project. Valient acknowledges that AI, while powerful, can veer off course if left unchecked. To mitigate this, Immens is built to keep users in the driver’s seat: the engine logs its actions, provides a clear history, and ensures repeatable results. This transparency allows creators to design one‑off tools for specific tasks—like generating five characters with a unique trait—in a matter of minutes, a process that previously might have taken weeks.
The result is a dramatically cheaper and more flexible workflow, empowering creators to iterate rapidly. Flexibility is a core tenet of Immens’s design. De Jong stresses that the engine does not impose a single workflow; developers decide how much AI to integrate and where.
The architecture is deliberately open, supporting open standards and text‑based file formats that can be read and manipulated by any compatible software. Brussee highlights that this openness enables seamless interoperability with tools such as Blender, Maya, or other generative pipelines, eliminating the “weird outlier” problem where engines become closed ecosystems. The broader conversation about AI in game development is polarized.
Some commentators on platforms like LinkedIn hype the notion of "click‑to‑game" engines that could conjure Grand Theft Auto‑scale experiences from a single prompt. Immens’s team tempers these expectations, positioning AI as a powerful tool rather than a magical shortcut. Valient believes AI will elevate the entire industry, making both blockbuster titles and indie projects better, while De Jong stresses the responsibility to use the technology ethically and productively. Economic anxieties also surface, with critics warning that AI‑focused ventures may be caught in a speculative bubble.
Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, noting that while many companies vanished, the underlying internet persisted and flourished. He argues that Immens is focused on building a genuinely useful engine; AI merely accelerates development and expands creative horizons.
Whether the market is in a bubble remains uncertain, but the team remains pragmatic, acknowledging that not every AI startup will survive. Funding details are still under wraps. Immens has secured its "first commitments" but has not disclosed amounts, describing the target as "reasonable." Brussee warns against over‑funding, noting that excess capital can breed complacency, whereas a lean operation encourages scrappiness and focus.
The company currently consists of the three founders plus a handful of helpers, a size they consider optimal for making deliberate, high‑impact decisions. Immens is now racing toward a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow, slated for release later this month. The timeline has already outpaced initial expectations—what was projected to take until year‑end is now arriving roughly twice as fast.
As for the business model, Brussee admires Epic’s "we succeed when you succeed" philosophy but admits it is too early to cement a definitive approach. Ultimately, the founders hope Immens will reignite creativity and risk‑taking in the industry. "We love games and want to see more complex artistic expressions," Brussee says. "If our technology can enable developers to push boundaries and innovate, that would be amazing."