For many years, Unity and Unreal have reigned supreme in the world of game creation, accounting for roughly seventy percent of the titles released on Steam in 2025. While the open‑source Godot engine has begun to attract attention and some studios cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a notable example—the market has largely been a duopoly dominated by the two giants. Enter Immersive (Immens), a startup 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.
Together they argue that despite the entrenched position of Unity and Unreal, there remains ample room for a fresh engine that addresses the shortcomings of today’s tooling. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new platform: “A few years ago this kind of engine simply didn’t exist.
With AI‑augmented programming we can start building from the ground up again, under tight guidance, and deliver full‑featured capabilities quickly.” Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, is quick to clarify that the AI component is not about generating content from a single prompt. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible. “AI can reason over large codebases and data sets,” he said. “If we design the engine with that in mind, even solo developers or tiny teams can plug in custom systems—like a bespoke particle system—without being limited to superficial scripting.” This approach aims to let creators extend the engine at a deep level, accelerating iteration while preserving control.
The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the current economic pressures of game development. Brussee described the environment as “rough,” noting that production costs are soaring and success is becoming increasingly elusive.
“We need new ways of working that lower expenses, shrink team sizes, and shorten timelines,” he argued. “Otherwise studios risk their livelihoods on ever‑larger budgets.” De Jong, the company’s chief product officer, observes that the engine market has entered a phase of “standardisation and consolidation.” While that has provided a stable foundation, he believes the industry now demands innovation rather than more of the same. “Continuing to do what we’ve always done isn’t enough,” he said. “We need a different paradigm.” One pain point he highlights is the monolithic nature of existing engines.
Developers often have to conform to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows. With AI, Immens intends to flip that relationship: the engine will adapt to the developer’s needs. “Flexibility is key,” De Jong explained.
“You should be able to swap components, add new tools, and tailor the interface to match your personal workflow—down to the exact shortcuts and features your project requires.” Valient acknowledges that AI, while powerful, can misbehave if left unchecked. To mitigate this, Immens is built with transparency and user control at its core. “You’ll always know what the engine is doing and why,” he said.
“The history is repeatable, and you can craft bespoke tools for specific problems—like generating five characters with a particular trait in minutes instead of weeks.” This level of control, he argues, turns what used to be a costly, manual process into a rapid, iterative experiment. Immens’s philosophy rejects a one‑size‑fits‑all workflow. De Jong stresses that the framework is deliberately agnostic: “You decide how much AI you want to employ and where you apply it. Our job is to make sure the AI understands the context correctly, but the ultimate direction is yours.” Interoperability is another pillar of the platform.
By embracing open standards and text‑based file formats, Immens aims to play nicely with the broader ecosystem—whether that’s Blender, Maya, or other generative tools. “When files are readable as plain text, any system can parse them,” Brussee noted. “That opens the door to smarter interfaces and seamless pipelines, something proprietary engines have historically struggled with.” The broader conversation around AI in games is fraught with hype and backlash.
Some commentators on LinkedIn predict a future where a single prompt can spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience. Immens’s founders temper such expectations, viewing AI as a powerful assistant rather than a magical button.
“Click‑to‑game engines might one day exist, but for now we see AI as a tool that makes developers better,” Valient said. “It’s disruptive, yes, but disruption can be positive when used responsibly.” Economic anxieties also linger. Critics warn that AI‑driven game tech could be a bubble with inflated valuations.
Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era: “The internet didn’t disappear when the bubble burst; many companies fell, but the technology endured. We’re focused on building a solid engine; AI simply accelerates our vision.” Funding remains modest.
Immens has secured its “first commitments” but has not disclosed amounts, describing the target as “reasonable.” Brussee warns against over‑capitalisation: “Too much money can make a startup lazy. Scrappiness fuels creativity.” The team currently consists of the three founders plus a handful of helpers, a lean structure chosen deliberately to stay agile. Balancing team size with ambition is a delicate act.
De Jong explains that building an engine is a complex endeavour that cannot be solved by simply adding a million engineers. “You need a small, focused group to make critical decisions and iterate quickly,” he said.
“At the same time, there’s a limited window—thanks to AI’s rise—to capture market momentum. The challenge is to have enough resources to act without diluting the effort.” Immens is already moving toward a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow, slated for release later this month. Brussee admits the timeline has been surprisingly aggressive: “We started in April and expected to be finished by year‑end.
We’re already twice as fast as anticipated.” Regarding the business model, Brussee hints at a partnership philosophy akin to Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” approach, though concrete details remain forthcoming. Ultimately, the founders hope their engine will enable more daring, artistic games. “We love games as an expressive art form,” Brussee concluded.
“We want to see more creativity, more risk‑taking, and innovation built on this technology. That would be amazing."