For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the go‑to tools for game developers, accounting for roughly 70 % of the titles that appeared on Steam in 2025. While open‑source alternatives like Godot have enjoyed a surge in popularity, the market still leans heavily toward proprietary solutions, with major studios such as Capcom relying on its in‑house RE Engine. In this landscape, the dominance of Unity and Unreal appears almost unassailable.
Enter Immersive Technologies—better known as Immens—a startup founded by three industry veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient. Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of game development, 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 that can address the shortcomings of the current generation and, more importantly, leverage the latest advances in artificial intelligence.
In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new platform. "A few years ago the idea of an AI‑augmented engine didn’t really exist," he said. "Now, with AI‑assisted programming, we can start from scratch again and bring full‑featured tools to developers much faster than before." Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarified that the company’s use of AI is not about generating content from a simple prompt. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible.
"If we design the codebase with AI in mind, even a solo developer can plug in a custom particle system or a bespoke animation pipeline without wrestling with opaque scripting layers," he noted. "The AI helps you reason about large codebases and data sets, enabling rapid extensions that would otherwise take weeks or months." The motivation behind Immens is also economic.
Brussee described the current market as "rough" and warned that game development costs are spiralling upward, making it harder for small studios to survive. "We need new ways of working that lower risk, shrink budgets, and let teams ship faster," he argued.
The goal is to break the cycle where only well‑funded studios can afford the heavyweight tools and talent required to produce AAA‑level experiences. De Jong, the chief product officer, added that the engine space has become overly standardized and consolidated. While this has provided a solid foundation, it also stifles innovation.
"The industry is facing a host of challenges, and simply repeating the old playbook won’t cut it," he said. "We need a paradigm shift, not just another iteration of the same monolithic engines." One of the pain points De Jong highlighted is the "monolithic approach" of current engines, which forces developers to conform to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows. With AI, Immens aims to deliver a platform that adapts to the user rather than the other way around. "Flexibility is key," he explained.
"You should be able to swap modules, append new features, and craft tools that match your personal workflow—down to the exact shortcuts, UI layout, and feature set you need for a particular project." Valient also warned that AI, while powerful, can behave unpredictably if left unchecked. To mitigate this, Immens is built with transparency at its core: developers can see exactly what the engine is doing, review its decision history, and reproduce results reliably.
This level of control, he argued, is essential for creative pipelines where a designer might need to generate five unique characters in minutes rather than spending weeks on manual iteration. Immens’ architecture deliberately avoids imposing a single workflow. De Jong emphasized that the framework is modular, allowing teams to decide how much AI they want to incorporate and where.
"The engine provides the scaffolding; you decide the shape of your process," he said. "We also prioritize open standards, so our files are text‑based and readable by any tool—whether it’s Blender, Maya, or a future generative‑AI plugin." The open‑standard approach addresses another industry gripe: many engines act as closed ecosystems that hinder interoperability. Brussee pointed out that when data is stored in human‑readable formats, AI can parse and manipulate it effortlessly, opening the door to smoother pipelines across the entire development stack.
There is, however, a vocal backlash against AI in game creation. Some commentators on LinkedIn predict a future where a single prompt can spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale world, fueling fears of "click‑to‑game" shortcuts that could undermine craftsmanship. Immens acknowledges the hype but frames AI as a tool, not a replacement for skill.
Valient remarked, "AI will make everyone better, but the core artistry still comes from people." Economic concerns also linger, with many questioning whether AI‑focused startups are part of a speculative bubble. Valient drew a parallel to the dot‑com era, noting that while many companies vanished, the underlying technology— the internet— persisted and flourished.
"We’re building a solid engine first; AI simply accelerates our ability to dream bigger and iterate faster," he said. Whether the market is in a bubble remains uncertain, but Immens is focused on delivering value regardless. Funding for Immens is still in its early stages.
The founders have secured initial commitments but have not disclosed exact figures, describing the amount as "reasonable." Brussee cautioned against over‑funding, noting that excessive capital can breed complacency. "Startups need to stay scrappy," he laughed.
The team remains intentionally small—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers. De Jong explained that building a game engine is a complex undertaking that does not benefit from a massive workforce.
"You need a tight, focused group to make critical decisions and iterate quickly," he said. At the same time, they recognize a narrow window of opportunity as AI reshapes the industry, and they are balancing resources to hit that sweet spot. Immens is currently developing a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow. The goal is to release this prototype within the month, a timeline that has already outpaced their original expectations.
"We aimed for an end‑of‑year milestone when we started in April, and we’re now delivering twice as fast," Brussee reported. When asked about the eventual business model, Brussee referenced Epic Games’ philosophy of sharing success with developers but admitted it’s too early to make definitive statements.
The overarching ambition, however, is clear: to empower creators to push the boundaries of interactive art. "We love games and the complex expressions they enable," Brussee concluded. "We hope Immens can spark more creativity, risk‑taking, and innovation in the industry. That would be amazing."