Unity and Unreal have long been the dominant forces in game creation, accounting for roughly 70% of Steam releases in 2025. While Godot has made noticeable strides and some studios cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the market has largely been locked into the two giants.
Against this backdrop, three seasoned industry veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—have founded Immens with a belief that there is still space for a fresh engine that improves on the status quo. The trio’s résumés read like a who’s‑who of modern game development: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Their combined background gives them a unique perspective on the limitations of current tools and the opportunities presented by recent advances in artificial intelligence. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee argued that the timing is perfect for a new engine because “the kind of AI‑assisted programming that didn’t exist a few years ago is now viable.” He envisions a system where developers can start from a clean slate, guided by AI, and quickly achieve full‑featured functionality.
Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarifies that their use of AI is not about generating content from vague prompts. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible.
"AI can reason about massive codebases and data sets," he explains. "If we design the engine with that capability 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. The AI helps them extend the engine faster and more safely." The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the current economic climate of game development. Brussee describes the environment as "rough," noting that production costs keep climbing, making it harder for small studios to survive.
He asks whether the industry can discover more efficient workflows that reduce budgets, shorten timelines, and lower risk for creators. De Jong, the chief product officer, echoes this sentiment, pointing out that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated. While that consolidation provides a stable foundation, it also stifles innovation. "We need a shift from standardisation to true innovation," he says, urging a break from the monolithic approaches that force developers to adapt to rigid, proprietary file formats.
De Jong envisions an engine that bends to the user’s needs rather than the other way around. He stresses flexibility: developers should be able to swap components, append new features, and craft tailor‑made tools that match their personal workflows.
For instance, a designer could build an interface with shortcuts and panels that reflect their specific project requirements, something that is difficult to achieve in the current generation of engines. Valient acknowledges AI’s power but warns that it can quickly go off‑track if left unchecked. Immens is therefore built to keep the user in the driver’s seat.
The engine logs its actions, provides a clear history, and ensures repeatable results. This transparency allows developers to create disposable tools—like a quick script that generates five characters with particular traits—in minutes rather than weeks.
Such rapid prototyping, once prohibitively expensive, becomes routine, freeing creators to experiment without fearing sunk costs. Flexibility extends to the engine’s overall workflow.
De Jong stresses that Immens does not impose a single pipeline; developers decide how much AI assistance they want and where to apply it. The architecture is deliberately modular, supporting open standards so that assets from Blender, Maya, or other generative tools can be imported seamlessly. "When files are text‑based, any program can read them," Brussee notes. "Our AI can parse those files and act on them, which makes interoperability a reality rather than a rare exception." The broader AI debate in gaming is polarized.
Some commentators hype AI to the point of claiming that a simple prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑level experience. Immens’s team tempers such expectations, describing AI as a powerful tool rather than a magic button. Valient believes that AI will elevate the entire industry: "Big games and indie projects alike will benefit because AI makes everyone better," he says, acknowledging the current negative perception due to the rapid, disruptive changes AI introduces. Economic concerns also loom.
Critics warn of an AI bubble with inflated valuations. Valient counters that, like the dot‑com era, the technology itself isn’t disappearing; rather, weaker companies will fall while strong products endure. Immens aims to be one of those durable offerings, focusing on building a solid engine that leverages AI to accelerate development and inspire bigger creative visions. Funding remains modest.
Immens has secured its "first commitments" but has not disclosed amounts, emphasizing that excessive capital can breed complacency. Brussee jokes that too much money makes startups lazy, and the company intentionally stays lean—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers. This small, scrappy team believes that a massive workforce would not necessarily speed up engine development, which requires careful, incremental decision‑making.
The team is already racing ahead of schedule. Their proof‑of‑concept demo, showcasing a generative‑AI‑driven editing flow, is slated for release within the month, well ahead of the original end‑of‑year target set when they began in April. This rapid progress underscores the potential of AI‑enhanced pipelines. As for the business model, Immens admires Epic Games’ philosophy of succeeding when developers succeed, but it remains too early to define a concrete revenue strategy.
Ultimately, the founders hope their engine will empower creators to push artistic boundaries, take risks, and inject fresh innovation into the medium. "We love games and want to see more daring, creative experiences," Brussee concludes.
"If our technology can help make that happen, it would be amazing."