For many years the game‑development landscape has been dominated by two heavyweight engines—Unity and Unreal. In fact, by 2025 they powered roughly 70 % of all titles released on Steam. While the open‑source Godot engine has enjoyed a surge in popularity and some large publishers continue to rely on proprietary solutions such as Capcom’s RE Engine, the market share of Unity and Unreal remains overwhelmingly strong.
Nevertheless, three seasoned industry veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—believe there is still room for a fresh entrant that can address the shortcomings of existing tools. Their new venture, Immens, is being built around an AI‑enhanced game engine that promises to lower costs, accelerate iteration, and give smaller teams the creative freedom traditionally reserved for well‑funded studios.
The founders’ résumés read like a who’s‑who of modern game development: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, Apple, and other marquee names. Their collective ambition is to challenge the status quo and give developers a more adaptable, extensible platform. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new engine because “the opportunity didn’t exist a couple of years ago.” He argues that AI‑assisted programming now makes it feasible to start building core systems from scratch while still retaining tight guidance and control. The goal, according to Brussee, is to deliver a fully functional engine quickly, without the massive overhead that has historically slowed innovation.
Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI component is not about “prompt‑to‑code” magic. Instead, the team is leveraging AI’s ability to understand large codebases and reason about data structures in order to make the engine highly extensible. “If we design the codebase with AI in mind, even a solo developer can add a custom particle system, a bespoke animation pipeline, or any other feature they need,” he says.
The AI acts as an accelerator for extension work, allowing developers to focus on the unique aspects of their games rather than wrestling with low‑level engine internals. The motivation behind Immers’ AI‑centric approach stems from the current economic climate of the games industry, which Brussee describes as “rough.” Development budgets are ballooning, and the risk of financial failure is increasing for studios of all sizes. By cutting down on manpower requirements and shortening development timelines, Immens hopes to break the cycle of ever‑rising costs.
“We need new ways of working that let us create games faster, with fewer people and smaller budgets, so studios don’t jeopardise their livelihoods,” Brussee asserts. De Jong, the chief product officer, points out that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated. While this has produced a solid foundation, it also stifles innovation. He argues that the industry now faces a series of challenges—rising production costs, talent shortages, and a demand for more diverse experiences—that cannot be solved by simply iterating on existing monolithic engines.
“We need innovation, not more standardisation,” he says. De Jong criticises the monolithic nature of current tools, which force developers to adapt to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows. With AI, Immens aims to deliver an engine that bends to the user’s needs, allowing developers to swap out components, append new functionality, or craft entirely custom tools tailored to their project’s specific requirements. Valient acknowledges AI’s power but also its volatility.
He stresses that Immens will keep developers in the driver’s seat, offering full transparency over what the AI is doing and a complete history of changes. This repeatable, auditable approach ensures that creators can trust the tool while still benefiting from rapid prototyping. For example, a designer who needs five characters with a particular trait could previously spend weeks scripting and testing; with Immens, the same task could be imagined over a coffee break, executed by a generated tool, used repeatedly, and then discarded once the job is done. This dramatically reduces the cost of bespoke workflows.
Flexibility is baked into Immens’ architecture. The engine does not impose a single workflow; instead, it provides a framework that developers can shape to their preferences, deciding how much AI assistance they want and where to apply it.
De Jong emphasizes that the underlying architecture must be robust enough to support varied pipelines while still being open enough for developers to build their own interfaces and extensions. Interoperability is another pillar of Immens’ design philosophy. By adopting open, text‑based standards, the engine can seamlessly exchange data with popular tools such as Blender, Maya, and other generative pipelines.
Brussee notes that when files are human‑readable, any AI can parse and manipulate them, fostering a “smarter interface” between disparate software. This contrasts with many proprietary engines that act as closed ecosystems, hindering integration with external tools. The broader conversation around AI in game development is often charged with hype and fear.
Some commentators on LinkedIn predict a future where a single prompt can spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience, fueling concerns about “click‑to‑game” solutions that could diminish the craft of development. Immens’ team acknowledges these anxieties but frames AI as a powerful augmentative tool rather than a replacement for human creativity.
Valient believes that AI will ultimately make developers better, even if the technology currently carries negative connotations due to its disruptive potential. Economic worries also loom large.
Critics warn that the AI boom could be a bubble with inflated valuations. Valient draws a parallel with the dot‑com bubble, arguing that while many companies will fail, the underlying technology—much like the internet—will endure and continue to drive innovation. Immens is focused on building a solid engine first; AI simply accelerates that process and expands the creative horizon.
Funding for Immens remains modest. The founders have secured “first commitments” but have not disclosed exact figures, describing the amount as “reasonable.” Brussee cautions against over‑funding, noting that excess capital can breed complacency and reduce the scrappy mindset that often fuels breakthrough projects. The company remains a lean operation, consisting of the three founders plus a handful of helpers. This small‑team approach is intentional: building an engine is a complex endeavour that benefits from focused decision‑making rather than a massive workforce.
Immens is currently developing a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow. The team aims to release this demo within the month, already having accelerated their timeline by a factor of two compared to the original schedule. While the ultimate business model is still being refined, Brussee expresses admiration for Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” revenue share, though he admits it’s too early to commit to a specific approach. Ultimately, the founders hope Immens will empower creators to push the medium forward, fostering more risk‑taking, artistic expression, and innovation in games.
As Brussee puts it, “We love games and want to see more creativity and risk‑taking. If our technology can help make that happen, that would be amazing.”