For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the go‑to platforms for game creation, together accounting for roughly 70 % of all titles released on Steam in 2025. While Godot has made noticeable strides recently and some large studios continue to rely on proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the market has largely been monopolised by the two giants. Enter Immens, a start‑up founded by three seasoned veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient. Their résumés read like a who's‑who of the industry, featuring stints at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple.
The trio believes there is still room for a fresh engine and, more importantly, for a new way of building games. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee argued that the timing is ripe for a novel engine that simply didn’t exist a few years ago.
“With AI‑assisted programming, you can start building from scratch again,” he explained. “Guided by intelligent tools, you can achieve full‑featured functionality much faster than before.” Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarified that the AI they are integrating is not the flashy, prompt‑to‑image kind 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 small teams or solo developers can add deep customisations—like a bespoke particle system—without being limited to superficial scripting,” he said. “The goal is to let creators extend the engine quickly and safely.” The motivation behind this AI‑powered engine stems from the current climate of the games market, which Brussee describes as “rough.” Development costs continue to climb, making it increasingly difficult for studios to turn a profit. “We need new, more efficient workflows that lower budgets and reduce team size while still delivering high‑quality experiences,” he asserted. “Otherwise developers risk their livelihoods and the very existence of their studios.” De Jong, Immens’ chief product officer, pointed out that the engine landscape has become overly standardised and consolidated.
While this has provided a solid foundation, it also stifles innovation. “The industry faces a host of challenges, and simply repeating the old methods won’t solve them,” he said. “We need fresh ideas, not more of the same.” One of the pain points De Jong highlighted is the monolithic nature of existing engines.
Developers often have to conform to rigid, proprietary file formats and toolchains. With AI, Immens aims to create an engine that adapts to the developer rather than forcing developers to adapt to it. “Flexibility is key,” he explained.
“You should be able to swap components, append new features, and build custom tools that match your personal workflow—down to the shortcuts, UI layout, and specific functionality you need for your project.” Valient acknowledges that AI is a double‑edged sword. While it is “really powerful,” it can also “go off the rails quickly if you don’t monitor it.” To mitigate this, Immens is built to keep users in full control of the engine’s actions. “You always know what the AI is doing, why it made a particular decision, and you can reproduce the result,” he said.
“This transparency lets you create throw‑away tools for specific tasks—like generating five characters with a unique trait—in minutes instead of weeks, dramatically cutting costs.” The architecture of Immens is deliberately agnostic. De Jong emphasised that the engine does not impose a single workflow; developers decide how much AI to employ and where. “Our framework is modular, so you can choose the level of AI assistance that fits your pipeline, as long as the AI can understand the context correctly.” Interoperability is another cornerstone.
By relying on open, text‑based standards, Immens can seamlessly communicate with other popular tools such as Blender, Maya, or any generative‑AI system. “When files are human‑readable, any software can parse them,” Brussee noted.
“This openness allows the engine to plug into existing ecosystems rather than becoming a closed off silo.” The broader community remains divided on AI’s role in game creation. Some commentators on LinkedIn hype the idea of “click‑to‑game” engines that could produce Grand Theft Auto‑scale experiences from a single prompt. Immens’ team tempers these expectations, viewing AI as a powerful assistant rather than a magic wand. “AI will make everyone better, but the core creative vision still comes from people,” Valient said.
“It has a negative stigma now because it’s disrupting the industry at an unprecedented scale, but that’s a natural part of technological progress.” Economic concerns also surface, with many questioning whether the AI boom is a bubble. Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era: “The internet didn’t disappear after the bubble burst; many companies fell, but the underlying technology endured.
We’re focused on building a solid engine; AI simply accelerates our development and expands our imagination.” Funding remains modest. Immens has secured its “first commitments” but has not disclosed the exact amount, describing it as “reasonable.” Brussee warns against over‑capitalisation, noting that excess cash can breed complacency.
“Start‑ups need to stay scrappy; too much money can make you lazy.” The company remains lean—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers. This size is intentional, as De Jong explains: “Building an engine is complex; you can’t throw a million engineers at it and expect miracles. A small, focused team can make deliberate decisions and iterate quickly, which is essential given the narrow window of opportunity created by AI’s rise.” Immens is currently targeting a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow.
The team aims to release this demo within the month, already having accelerated their timeline by a factor of two compared to the original schedule. “We expected to be ready by year‑end; we’re already halfway there,” Brussee said. As for the business model, Immens is still exploring options. While they appreciate Epic Games’ philosophy of “we succeed when you succeed,” it’s too early to commit to a specific revenue structure.
Ultimately, the founders hope their engine will empower creators to push the medium forward. “We love games and the artistic expression they enable,” Brussee concluded. “We want more creativity, more risk‑taking, and more innovation built on technology like ours.
If we can help make that happen, it would be amazing.”