For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the go‑to tools for game creators, powering roughly 70 % of the titles that appeared on Steam in 2025. While open‑source alternatives such as Godot have made noticeable strides, the majority of large studios still cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—leaving the market largely dominated by the two giants. Enter Immens, a fledgling venture founded by three seasoned 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. Together they believe there is still room for a fresh engine that can address the shortcomings of the current landscape. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee argued that the timing is ripe for a new platform, noting that “a few years ago the idea of building an engine from scratch with AI assistance didn’t even exist.” He sees AI‑enhanced programming as a catalyst that can restore the ability to start a project from a clean slate while still delivering full‑featured functionality quickly and under tight supervision.
Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI component is not about generating content via simple prompts. Instead, it is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible. “AI can reason about massive amounts of data and source code,” he explains. “If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even solo developers or tiny teams can plug in custom systems—say a bespoke particle system—without being confined to a narrow scripting layer.” This approach aims to let creators extend the engine rapidly, using AI as a productivity amplifier rather than a replacement for human ingenuity.
The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the harsh economic realities of modern game development. Brussee describes the current climate as “rough,” emphasizing that production costs keep climbing, making it increasingly difficult for independent studios to survive. He asks whether new workflows can break this cycle, allowing teams to deliver games faster, with fewer people and smaller budgets, thereby reducing the financial risk to studios and their creators. De Jong, the chief product officer, points out that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated.
While this has given developers a stable foundation, it also stifles innovation. “The industry now faces a series of challenges, and simply repeating the old methods won’t cut it,” he says. “We need fresh ideas, not more of the same.” He criticizes existing engines for their monolithic nature—forcing developers to adapt to proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines. With AI, Immens aims to flip that script, offering an engine that molds itself to the developer’s needs.
Flexibility is a core design principle. De Jong envisions a system where users can swap components, append new functionality, and craft tailor‑made tools that match their personal workflows. He gives an example of building a custom interface with specific shortcuts and features that align perfectly with his team’s project requirements.
This level of personalization, he argues, is essential for fostering creativity and efficiency. Valient acknowledges that AI, while powerful, can be unpredictable if left unchecked.
To mitigate this, Immens is built to keep users in full control, providing transparent histories of AI actions so that outcomes are repeatable and auditable. He illustrates the potential impact with a scenario: instead of spending weeks designing five characters with a particular trait, a developer could sketch the idea over coffee, generate the assets with AI, reuse the tool a handful of times, and discard it—dramatically cutting costs and time.
The engine does not impose a single workflow. De Jong stresses that teams can decide how much AI to incorporate and where, as long as the underlying system can understand and execute the instructions reliably. Open standards are also a priority; by using text‑based file formats, Immens ensures that external tools like Blender, Maya, or generative‑AI pipelines can communicate seamlessly.
“When everything speaks the same language, integration becomes trivial,” Brussee notes. There is a vocal backlash against AI in game development, with some commentators warning that future tools could let anyone conjure a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience with a single prompt.
Immens’s founders see such “click‑to‑game” visions as distant possibilities, but they maintain that AI should be regarded as a tool that amplifies human talent rather than replaces it. Valient argues that AI will make developers better, even if the technology currently carries negative connotations due to its disruptive scale. Economic concerns also swirl around the AI boom, with fears of a bubble and inflated valuations. Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, suggesting that while many AI startups may fail, the underlying technology will endure and benefit those who build solid products.
Immens is focused on delivering a robust engine; whether the market is in a bubble is secondary. Funding remains modest. The company has secured its “first commitments,” but the founders have not disclosed exact figures, describing the amount as “reasonable.” Brussee warns against over‑capitalization, noting that excess money can breed complacency.
Immens deliberately stays lean—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers—to maintain agility and focus. Building an engine is a complex endeavor that cannot be tackled by a massive team alone. De Jong explains the need for a small, dedicated group that can make thoughtful decisions and iterate wisely, while also seizing the narrow window of opportunity presented by AI’s rise. The team aims to deliver a proof‑of‑concept demo showcasing a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow within the month, already achieving development speeds twice as fast as initially projected.
Regarding the business model, Brussee admires Epic Games’ “we succeed when you succeed” philosophy but admits it is too early to commit to a specific approach. Ultimately, the founders hope Immens will empower creators to push the medium forward, fostering more daring, artistic, and innovative games. As Brussee puts it, “We love games, we love complex artistic expression, and we want to see more risk‑taking.
If our technology can help make that happen, that would be amazing.”