For years, Unity and Unreal have ruled the game‑development landscape, accounting for roughly 70 % of the titles launched on Steam in 2025. While Godot has made notable strides and some studios cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the duopoly of Unity and Unreal still dominates the market. Enter Immersive, a startup founded by three seasoned industry veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient. Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of game‑tech powerhouses, 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, and that the next generation of tools should be built with artificial intelligence at its core. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new platform that simply didn’t exist a few years ago. “With AI‑assisted programming, you can start from a clean slate again,” he said.
“With the right guidance and control, you can deliver full‑featured functionality far more quickly than before.” Valient, Immersive’s chief technology officer, clarified that the AI they employ is not the typical “prompt‑to‑output” gimmick that dominates headlines. 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 noted.
“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 engine—without being limited to a handful of scripts.” This philosophy aims to let creators harness AI as a rapid‑extension tool rather than a black‑box generator. The motivation behind Immersive’s AI‑driven engine stems from the current state of the games market, which Brussee describes as “rough.” Development costs are soaring, and the risk of financial ruin for small studios is growing. “We need new ways of working, more efficient pipelines that let us build games with fewer people, tighter budgets, and faster turnaround,” he asserted. The goal is to break the cycle where escalating expenses force studios into unsustainable territory.
De Jong, the chief product officer, observes that the engine space has become overly standardized and consolidated. While this has provided a solid foundation, it also stifles innovation. “The industry now faces a host of challenges, and simply repeating past methods won’t cut it,” he argued. “We need genuine innovation, not just more of the same.” One of the criticisms De Jong levels at existing engines is their monolithic nature.
Developers are forced to adapt to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows. By contrast, an AI‑infused engine could reshape itself around the developer’s needs. “Flexibility is key,” he said.
“You should be able to swap components, append new features, or craft entirely custom tools that match your personal workflow—down to shortcuts, UI layout, and specific functionalities.” Valient acknowledges that AI, while powerful, can misbehave if left unchecked. “We’re building Immersive so users stay in control of what the engine does,” he explained. “You can trace its actions, understand its history, and ensure repeatability.
This transparency lets you create bespoke tools for niche tasks—like generating five characters with a particular trait—in minutes instead of weeks.” Such rapid prototyping, he believes, could dramatically lower production costs. Immersive’s architecture deliberately avoids imposing a single workflow. De Jong emphasizes that the framework is designed to let teams decide how much AI to incorporate and where.
“The AI must understand context correctly, but the choice of when and how to use it remains with the developer.” Interoperability is another cornerstone of the platform. By adopting open, text‑based standards, Immersive aims to play nicely with the broader ecosystem of tools such as Blender, Maya, and other generative software. “If files are readable as plain text, any AI can parse and manipulate them,” Brussee said.
“Open standards let us build smarter interfaces, so you can plug in your favorite assets without fighting proprietary roadblocks.” The broader conversation around AI in game development is polarized. Some pundits on LinkedIn hype the notion of “click‑to‑game” experiences, claiming that a single prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale world.
Immersive’s team tempers such optimism, viewing AI as a powerful assistant rather than a magic wand. “AI will make everyone better, but it remains a tool,” Valient noted. “Its current negative perception stems from the disruptive scale it introduces.” Economic anxieties also loom, with many questioning whether AI‑centric startups are part of a bubble. Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era: the internet didn’t disappear, even though numerous over‑valued companies fell away.
“Great technology and solid products survive,” he said. “We’re focused on building a robust engine; AI simply accelerates our vision.” Funding remains modest.
Immersive has secured its “first commitments” but has not disclosed exact figures, describing the amount as “reasonable.” Brussee warns against excessive capital, noting that too much money can breed complacency. “Startups need to stay scrappy,” he laughed.
“Otherwise you lose the edge that drives innovation.” The company remains lean—just the three founders and a handful of helpers—by design. De Jong explains that a massive team would not necessarily speed up engine development; a focused, small group can make critical decisions more efficiently.
Yet they must also balance the need for sufficient resources to seize the narrow window of opportunity presented by AI’s rise. Immersive is currently targeting a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI editing workflow, slated for release this month. Brussee admits their timeline has already outpaced expectations: “We aimed for an end‑of‑year milestone when we started in April, and we’re already twice as fast.” Regarding the business model, Brussee admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” approach but says it’s too early to commit to a specific revenue strategy.
Ultimately, the founders hope their engine will empower creators to push the medium forward, fostering more artistic risk‑taking and innovation. “We love games and want to see more daring, expressive experiences,” Brussee concluded. “If our technology can help make that happen, that would be amazing."