Unity and Unreal have long held sway over the game‑development landscape, accounting for roughly seventy percent of the titles that landed on Steam in 2025. While Godot has made notable strides in recent years and some major studios cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the market has largely been a duopoly of the two industry giants. Enter Immens, a fledgling venture founded by three seasoned veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient. Their résumés read like a who's‑who of the gaming world, 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 addresses the shortcomings of the status quo and leverages 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 this kind of engine didn’t exist,” he said. “With AI‑assisted programming we can start building from the ground up again, under tight guidance, and deliver full‑featured tools much faster than before.” Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarified that the AI component is not about generating assets with a single prompt.
Instead, it focuses on making the engine itself highly extensible. “AI can reason over massive codebases and data sets,” he noted. “If we design the architecture with that capability in mind, even a solo developer can plug in a custom particle system or a bespoke animation pipeline without being limited to a handful of scripts.” This approach aims to let creators extend the engine quickly, using AI as a productivity catalyst rather than a magical shortcut.
The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the current economic pressures facing developers. Brussee described the environment as “rough,” pointing out that production budgets are inflating while the margin for error shrinks. “Games are getting more expensive to make,” he warned. “We need new ways of working that lower costs, let smaller teams ship faster, and protect studios from financial ruin.” De Jong, the chief product officer, observed that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated.
While this has provided a stable foundation, he argues that the industry now needs genuine innovation. “Continuing to do exactly what we’ve always done isn’t enough,” he said.
“We need a different approach—one that embraces flexibility and avoids the monolithic, one‑size‑fits‑all mentality of current tools.” According to De Jong, many existing engines force developers to conform to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows. By contrast, Immens intends to be a chameleon that adapts to the user’s preferences. “You should be able to swap components, append new modules, and craft custom tools that match your personal workflow,” he explained.
“Imagine a UI built with the exact shortcuts, panels, and features you need for your project—nothing more, nothing less.” Valient also cautioned that AI, while powerful, can veer off course if left unchecked. To mitigate this risk, Immens is being built with transparency and control at its core.
“When you use the engine, you’ll always know what it’s doing and why,” he asserted. “You’ll have a complete history of actions, making the process repeatable and trustworthy.” This level of oversight is intended to keep the creative process grounded while still allowing rapid prototyping—such as generating five unique characters over a coffee break rather than spending weeks on manual iteration.
Flexibility is baked into the engine’s architecture. De Jong emphasized that Immens does not impose a single workflow; developers decide how much AI to incorporate and where. “Our framework is deliberately open‑ended so you can tailor the development pipeline to your needs, whether that means heavy AI assistance or a more hands‑on approach.” Interoperability is another pillar of the platform. By adopting open standards and text‑based file formats, Immens aims to play nicely with the broader ecosystem of tools like Blender, Maya, and other generative software.
“If the files are readable as plain text, any AI can parse them and act on them,” Brussee explained. “This eliminates the black‑box nature of many current engines and enables seamless data exchange across applications.” The conversation around AI in game creation is polarized.
Some commentators on LinkedIn hype the idea of “click‑to‑game” experiences, suggesting that a single prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale world. Immens’s team acknowledges that such visions are far off, positioning AI as a powerful tool rather than a replacement for human creativity.
“AI will make everyone better, not replace them,” Valient said. “It’s a disruptive technology, but like any tool, it can be used responsibly.” Economic anxieties also surface, with critics labeling the AI boom a bubble reminiscent of the dot‑com era. Valient counters that while valuations may fluctuate, the underlying technology is here to stay. “The internet didn’t disappear after the dot‑com crash; the weak companies did,” he remarked.
“Our focus is on building a solid engine that leverages AI to speed up development and inspire bigger dreams. Whether the market is in a bubble is uncertain, but the tech itself isn’t going anywhere.” Funding remains modest. Immens has secured its first round of commitments, though the founders have not disclosed the exact amount, describing it as “reasonable.” Brussee warned against excessive capital, noting that too much money can breed complacency.
“Startups need to stay scrappy,” he laughed. “Being lean forces you to make smarter decisions.” The company’s team is intentionally small—just the three founders and a handful of helpers.
De Jong explained that building a game engine is a complex undertaking that cannot be outsourced to a massive workforce. “You need a tight, focused group to make critical architectural choices,” he said. “At the same time, you must time your effort to capture the window of opportunity created by AI’s rise.” Immens is currently racing toward a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow.
The team aims to release the demo within the month, already having accelerated their timeline by a factor of two compared to initial estimates. “We expected to be ready by year‑end; we’re ahead of schedule,” Brussee reported. Regarding the business model, Brussee hinted that Immens appreciates Epic Games’ “we succeed when you succeed” licensing philosophy but stressed that it’s too early to lock in specifics. The ultimate goal, he said, is to empower developers to craft more daring, artistic experiences.
“Games are an expressive art form,” Brussee concluded. “We want to see more creativity, more risk‑taking, and more innovation built on technology that amplifies human imagination.
If we can help make that happen, it would be amazing."