For many years the game‑development landscape has been dominated by two heavyweight engines: Unity and Unreal. In 2025 they powered roughly 70 % of all titles released on Steam, while the open‑source Godot gained traction and a handful of studios continue to rely on proprietary solutions such as Capcom’s RE Engine. Yet the market still feels largely locked into this duopoly.
Enter Immersive Technologies—better known as Immens—a startup founded by three industry veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong and Michal Valient. Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of game‑making powerhouses, including stints at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key and even Apple. Together they argue that the engine space is ripe for a fresh approach, one that leverages artificial intelligence not as a gimmick but as a structural advantage. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new engine because “the tools that existed a couple of years ago simply aren’t enough anymore.” He believes AI‑assisted programming can restore the feeling of building a game from the ground up, giving developers the ability to prototype core systems quickly while retaining tight oversight.
“With the right guidance and control, you can assemble a fully functional pipeline in a fraction of the time,” he said. Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarified that the company’s AI is not about generating assets from a single prompt. Instead, the technology is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible.
“If we design the codebase to be AI‑aware, even a solo developer can add a custom particle system or a bespoke animation tool without wrestling with opaque scripting layers,” he noted. The goal is to let creators extend the engine at will, using AI as a speed‑boost rather than a replacement for thoughtful engineering. The motivation behind Immens is also economic. Brussee described the current climate as “rough” for developers, with budgets ballooning and development cycles stretching longer than ever.
“We need a new way of working that reduces cost, shortens timelines, and lets smaller teams compete without risking their studios,” he warned. De Jong echoed this sentiment, observing that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated.
While that stability has provided a solid foundation, the industry now needs genuine innovation, not more of the same. One of the pain points De Jong highlighted is the monolithic nature of existing engines. Developers are forced to adapt to proprietary file formats and rigid toolchains.
Immens aims to flip that script by building an engine that adapts to the user. “Flexibility is essential,” he said.
“You should be able to swap components, append new modules, or craft entirely custom tools that match your workflow, shortcuts, and UI preferences.” This philosophy extends to interoperability: Immens will embrace open standards so that text‑based assets can be read and manipulated by any compatible software, be it Blender, Maya, or future generative‑AI pipelines. The team is realistic about AI’s limits. Valient admitted that while the technology is “really powerful,” it can also go off‑track if left unchecked. To mitigate this, Immens will give users full visibility into the engine’s decisions, preserving repeatability and allowing developers to audit and fine‑tune AI‑generated outputs.
He illustrated the potential with a simple example: creating five characters with a specific trait that previously might have taken weeks can now be drafted over a coffee break, tested, and discarded if it doesn’t fit—dramatically cutting cost. Immens’ architecture deliberately avoids imposing a single workflow. De Jong emphasized that developers can decide how much AI to incorporate and where, as long as the underlying system can interpret the AI’s actions correctly. This modularity is paired with a commitment to open file formats, which the team believes will foster smoother integration across the broader tool ecosystem.
Despite the hype surrounding “click‑to‑game” promises, the Immens founders see AI as a facilitator rather than a magic button. Valient warned that current backlash often stems from sensationalist claims that a prompt could instantly generate a Grand‑Theft‑Auto‑scale experience.
“AI is a tool that makes everyone better,” he said, noting that, like any technology, it can be misused, but the responsibility lies with creators to apply it responsibly. Economic anxieties also swirl around AI, with many questioning whether the sector is a bubble.
Valient compared the situation to the dot‑com era: the internet didn’t disappear, even though many early companies failed. “Great technology and solid products survive,” he argued. Immens is focused on building a robust engine first; AI simply accelerates the process and expands creative horizons.
Funding remains modest. Immens has secured its “first commitments” but has not disclosed amounts, describing the target as “reasonable.” Brussee cautioned against excess capital, noting that too much money can breed complacency.
The company remains lean—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers—by design. De Jong explained the delicate balance: a complex engine cannot be built by a massive team overnight, yet there is a narrow window of opportunity as AI reshapes the industry.
The team aims to hit that sweet spot without over‑staffing. Currently Immens is racing toward a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow.
The prototype, slated for release this month, will illustrate how a developer can modify game assets in real time using AI assistance. Brussee admitted the timeline has already outpaced their original estimate—what they thought would take until year‑end is now arriving months earlier. Business‑model discussions are still early.
While Immens admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” licensing philosophy, they have not committed to any specific revenue structure yet. Ultimately, Brussee hopes Immens will empower creators to push the medium forward, fostering risk‑taking, artistic expression, and innovation. “We love games and want to see more daring, more creative experiences,” he concluded. “If our technology can help make that happen, it would be amazing.”