For many years, Unity and Unreal have reigned supreme in the world of game creation, accounting for roughly 70 % of the titles that appeared on Steam in 2025. While open‑source alternatives like Godot have begun to gain traction, most large studios still cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—leaving the market largely monopolised by the two giants.
Enter Immersive, a fledgling venture founded by three seasoned veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient. Their résumés read like a who‑is‑who of the industry, with stints at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Together they argue that the current engine landscape is ripe for disruption and that a fresh approach, powered by artificial intelligence, can address long‑standing pain points.
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right: “A few years ago, the idea of a brand‑new engine that could be built from the ground up didn’t exist. With AI‑assisted programming, we can finally start from scratch again and deliver full‑featured tools much faster.” Valient, Immersive’s chief technology officer, clarified that their use of AI is not about generating assets with a single prompt. Instead, the technology is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible. “AI excels at reasoning over massive codebases and data sets,” he said.
“If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even a solo developer can plug in a custom particle system or a bespoke physics module without wrestling with opaque scripting layers.” This philosophy aims to give creators the freedom to augment the engine quickly, rather than being confined to a fixed set of features. The motivation behind Immersive’s AI‑driven engine stems from a bleak market reality. Brussee described the current climate as “rough,” noting that development costs keep climbing, making it increasingly difficult for small teams to break even. “We need new ways of working that lower budgets, shrink team sizes, and accelerate timelines,” he argued.
“Otherwise studios risk their livelihoods on projects that may never see the light of day.” De Jong, the chief product officer, observed that the engine space has become overly standardized and consolidated. While this has provided a stable foundation, he believes the industry now requires genuine innovation. “Continuing to iterate on the same monolithic tools isn’t enough,” he said. “We need a flexible, modular engine that adapts to each creator’s workflow.” One of the frustrations with existing engines is their monolithic nature and reliance on proprietary file formats.
De Jong envisions an engine that can be reshaped on the fly: “You should be able to swap components, append new ones, or build entirely custom tools that match your personal shortcuts, UI preferences, and project‑specific needs.” By embracing open standards and text‑based file formats, Immersive hopes to make interoperability a core strength. Brussee added that when files are human‑readable, AI can parse and manipulate them directly, opening the door to seamless integration with tools like Blender, Maya, or any generative‑AI pipeline. The team is also mindful of AI’s pitfalls. Valient warned that while AI is “really powerful,” it can “go off the rails quickly if you don’t keep a close eye on it.” Immersive therefore places control firmly in the user’s hands: the engine logs every decision, offers full reproducibility, and lets developers craft throw‑away scripts for repetitive tasks—such as generating five characters with a specific trait—without incurring massive manual effort.
Flexibility is baked into the engine’s DNA. De Jong emphasized that Immersive does not impose a single workflow; developers decide how much AI to employ and where. The architecture is deliberately modular, allowing teams to pick and choose AI‑enhanced components while maintaining a clear understanding of how those components interact. Open standards also play a crucial role.
By relying on text‑based assets, Immersive ensures that any AI system can read, modify, and export data, fostering a “smarter interface” between disparate tools. This approach contrasts with many current engines, which act as closed ecosystems that resist easy data exchange. Despite the hype surrounding AI‑generated games—some pundits on LinkedIn claim that a single prompt could spawn a Grand‑Theft‑Auto‑scale experience—Immersive treats AI as a facilitator rather than a replacement. Valient believes that AI will make “big games and everything in between better because it makes everybody more capable,” while acknowledging the technology’s disruptive perception.
Economic concerns also surface, with many questioning whether AI is a bubble. Valient drew a parallel to the dot‑com era, noting that while numerous startups vanished, the underlying internet survived and thrived. “We’re building a solid engine first; AI simply accelerates our development and expands our imagination,” he said. Whether the AI market is a bubble remains unknown, but Immersive is focused on delivering a product that stands on its own merits.
Funding remains modest. Immersive has secured its “first commitments” but has not disclosed exact figures, describing the amount as “reasonable.” Brussee cautioned against excessive capital, noting that too much money can breed complacency and diminish the scrappy mindset needed for a lean startup.
The company currently consists of the three founders plus a handful of helpers, deliberately keeping the team small to make agile decisions. De Jong explained the trade‑off: “You can’t throw a million engineers at an engine and expect it to work. You need a focused group to iterate, learn, and make critical choices, especially during this window of opportunity created by AI’s rise.” Immersive is now racing toward a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow, slated for release later this month.
The timeline has already outpaced their original estimate—what was projected to take until year‑end is now expected within a few weeks, highlighting the speed gains the team claims AI can deliver. Regarding the business model, Brussee hinted that Immersive admires Epic Games’ “we succeed when you succeed” licensing philosophy but admitted it’s too early to commit to a specific approach.
Ultimately, the founders hope their engine will empower creators to push artistic boundaries, take risks, and innovate in ways that were previously out of reach. “We love games and want to see more daring, creative experiences,” Brussee concluded. “If our technology can help developers build something truly groundbreaking, that would be amazing.”