For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the go‑to platforms for game creators, accounting for roughly 70% of the titles released on Steam in 2025. While Godot has made notable strides recently and some major studios still rely on proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the market has largely been a duopoly dominated by the two giants.
Enter Immersive, a startup founded by three seasoned veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—who believe there is still room for a fresh engine that addresses the shortcomings of the current landscape. Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of the industry, featuring stints at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Together they aim to challenge the status quo. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee argued that the timing is right for a new engine, noting that “an opportunity now exists that simply didn’t exist a few years ago.” He points to AI‑assisted programming as a catalyst that can let developers start from a clean slate again.
“With a lot of guidance and control, you can build something that brings full functionality quickly,” he said. Valient, Immersive’s chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI they employ is not the kind that generates assets from a single prompt. Instead, it is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible. “AI can reason about massive amounts of data and code,” he explained.
“If we design the engine with that in mind, even small teams or solo developers can plug in custom systems—say, a bespoke particle effect—without being confined to a limited scripting layer.” This philosophy aims to let creators extend the engine at a deeper level, accelerating iteration. The motivation behind this AI‑centric approach stems from the current economic pressures on developers.
Brussee describes the market as “rough,” emphasizing that game production costs keep climbing, making it harder for studios to survive. “We need new ways of working, more efficient processes that lower budgets and reduce team size while still delivering quality,” he said. The goal is to break the cycle where rising expenses threaten the livelihood of developers and studios alike.
De Jong, Immersive’s chief product officer, observes that the engine space has become overly standardized and consolidated. While that consolidation has provided a solid foundation, he argues it also stifles innovation. “The industry faces a host of challenges, and simply repeating past methods won’t solve them. We need fresh ideas, not just more of the same,” he asserted.
One of the pain points De Jong highlights is the monolithic nature of existing engines. Developers often have to conform to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows. With AI, Immersive envisions an engine that molds itself to the user’s needs. “Flexibility is key,” he said.
“You should be able to swap components, add new tools, and tailor the interface to match exactly what your project demands—down to the shortcuts you prefer.” Valient acknowledges AI’s power but also its volatility. “If you’re not vigilant, it can go off the rails quickly,” he warned. To mitigate this, Immersive is building transparency into the system: users can see what the engine is doing, review its decision history, and ensure repeatable results.
This level of control enables developers to craft bespoke tools for specific problems—like generating five characters with a particular trait—in minutes rather than weeks, dramatically cutting costs. The engine’s architecture is deliberately open. Immersive plans to rely on text‑based, open‑standard file formats so that any tool can read and write data. “When files are plain text, the AI can parse them and interact with them,” Brussee explained.
This openness means that popular software such as Blender, Maya, or other generative tools can plug directly into the workflow without the friction often caused by closed‑source engines. There is a vocal backlash against AI in game development, with some critics warning that future “click‑to‑game” systems could let anyone conjure a Grand Theft Auto‑style experience with a single prompt. Immersive’s team sees AI more as an empowering assistant than a replacement.
Valient believes AI will make developers better, not obsolete, and stresses that the technology’s current negative perception stems from its disruptive scale. De Jong adds a responsible‑use perspective: “AI is a tool, like any other humanity has created. It can be misused, but it’s up to us to guide it responsibly.” He also addresses economic anxieties, noting that while AI hype may create a bubble, the underlying technology is unlikely to disappear—much like the internet survived the dot‑com bust.
Immersive’s focus remains on delivering a high‑quality engine; any AI‑driven acceleration is a means to that end, not an end in itself. Funding remains modest. Immersive has secured its “first commitments” but has not disclosed amounts, describing the target as “reasonable.” Brussee cautions against excess capital, noting that too much money can breed complacency.
The company remains a lean operation—just the three founders and a handful of helpers—by design. De Jong explains that building an engine is a complex, nuanced task that benefits from a small, focused team making deliberate decisions rather than a massive, unwieldy group. Currently, Immersive is working on 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 expectations; what they thought would take a year is now on track within months.
This rapid progress underscores the potential efficiency gains AI can bring. Regarding the business model, Brussee admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” approach but admits it’s too early to commit to a specific revenue strategy.
Ultimately, the founders hope their engine will enable creators to push artistic boundaries, take risks, and deliver innovative experiences. “We love games and want to see more creativity and daring in the medium,” Brussee concluded. “If our technology helps spark that innovation, it would be amazing."