For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the go‑to tools for game creators, accounting for roughly seventy percent of all Steam releases in 2025. While Godot has made noticeable strides recently and some large studios cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the market has largely been a duopoly dominated by the two giants.
Enter Immersive, a fledgling studio founded by three industry veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient. Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of game development, spanning roles at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Together they argue that the current engine landscape still has room for a fresh contender, especially one built around modern AI capabilities.
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 enough anymore.” He believes AI‑assisted programming can revive the notion of building a game engine from the ground up, offering developers a way to achieve full‑featured functionality quickly while retaining tight oversight. Valient, Immersive’s chief technology officer, is careful to distinguish their approach from the hype‑driven “prompt‑to‑asset” narrative that circulates in many AI circles.
He emphasizes that the AI baked into Immersive is not about magically conjuring content, but about constructing an engine architecture that is inherently extensible. “AI can reason over massive codebases and data sets,” he says.
“If we design the engine with that in mind, even solo developers or tiny teams can plug in custom systems—like a bespoke particle effect—without being confined to a limited scripting layer.” This extensibility, he argues, is the key to letting creators harness AI to accelerate iteration rather than replace the creative process. The motivation behind Immersive’s AI‑powered engine stems from a bleak outlook on today’s game‑development economics. Brussee describes the environment as “rough,” noting that production costs keep climbing while budgets shrink, making it increasingly difficult for studios to survive.
He asks whether new workflows can break this cycle, delivering high‑quality experiences with fewer people, shorter timelines, and reduced financial risk. De Jong, the chief product officer, points out that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated.
While that consolidation has provided a stable foundation, he argues that the industry now needs genuine innovation, not merely more of the same. He criticizes the “monolithic approach” of existing engines, where developers must adapt to proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines. With AI, De Jong envisions an engine that bends to the developer’s needs, allowing interchangeable modules, custom toolchains, and personalized interfaces that match each creator’s workflow. 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 quickly,” he warns. To mitigate this, Immersive is building transparency into the engine: users can see exactly what the AI is doing, review its decision history, and ensure repeatable outcomes. This level of control, he says, enables developers to craft bespoke tools for specific tasks—such as generating five characters with a unique trait—in a matter of minutes, a process that previously might have taken weeks. Flexibility is a cornerstone of Immersive’s design philosophy.
De Jong stresses that the engine does not enforce a single workflow; instead, it offers a modular architecture where developers decide how much AI to incorporate and where. The framework is deliberately open, supporting text‑based file formats that any tool can read.
Brussee highlights the importance of open standards, noting that when files are human‑readable, AI can parse and manipulate them effortlessly. This openness facilitates seamless integration with popular software like Blender, Maya, or other generative tools, eliminating the “weird outlier” problem where traditional engines act as closed ecosystems.
The broader industry reaction to AI in game development is mixed, with some voices on social media warning that future creators might conjure Grand Theft Auto‑scale worlds with a single prompt. Immersive acknowledges the speculative “click‑to‑game” scenario but frames AI strictly as a tool that amplifies human creativity rather than replaces it.
Valient believes AI will make both blockbuster titles and indie projects better by augmenting the skill set of every developer. De Jong adds that, like any powerful technology, AI must be used responsibly; the onus is on creators to steer it toward positive outcomes.
Economic anxieties also swirl around AI, with many questioning whether the sector is a bubble inflated by hype. Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, arguing that while some companies will fall, the underlying technology—much like the internet—will endure. Immersive’s focus remains on building a solid engine; AI merely accelerates development and expands creative horizons. Whether the market is in a bubble is uncertain, but the team is confident that a well‑engineered product will survive any correction.
Funding for Immersive is still in its early stages. The founders have secured “first commitments” but have not disclosed amounts, describing the target as “reasonable.” Brussee cautions against excessive capital, noting that too much money can breed complacency and reduce the scrappy mindset essential for a startup. The company currently consists of the three founders plus a handful of helpers, deliberately staying lean to maintain agility.
De Jong explains the balancing act: building an engine is complex and cannot be rushed by throwing a large team at it, yet timing is critical to capture the window of opportunity presented by AI’s rise. Immersive aims to iterate quickly with a small, focused team, making strategic decisions that position them for the next few years of industry transformation. The team is already working toward a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow.
They plan to release this demo within the month, a timeline that Brussee says is already twice as fast as their original estimate when they began in April. This rapid progress underscores the potential speed gains AI can deliver when integrated thoughtfully. Business‑model discussions are ongoing.
While Immersive admires Epic Games’ “we succeed when you succeed” licensing philosophy, they admit it’s too early to commit to a specific approach. Ultimately, Brussee hopes the engine will empower creators to push the medium forward, fostering more risk‑taking, artistic expression, and innovation. He concludes with a simple wish: “We love games, we love the art form, and we want to see more creativity.
If our technology can help make that happen, that would be amazing.”