For years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces in game creation, accounting for roughly 70% of Steam releases in 2025. While open‑source options like Godot have gained traction and some studios cling to proprietary solutions such as Capcom’s RE Engine, the market has largely been a duopoly. Into this landscape step three seasoned industry 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 status quo.
The trio’s résumé reads like a who's‑who of modern game development: experience at Epic Games (the creator of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Their new venture, Immens, aims to challenge the entrenched players by leveraging AI‑assisted programming to give developers unprecedented flexibility and speed.
In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right: “A few years ago the idea of building a brand‑new engine from the ground up seemed unrealistic. With AI‑supported coding, we can start from scratch again and still deliver a fully‑featured product quickly.” He emphasizes that the AI component is not about generating content from vague prompts, but about constructing an engine architecture that is inherently extensible. Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, clarified this distinction.
“Our AI isn’t a magic‑wand that conjures code out of thin air,” he said. “It’s a reasoning layer that understands the codebase and can help developers extend the engine efficiently. If a small team wants a custom particle system or a bespoke gameplay mechanic, they can plug it in without wrestling with monolithic, proprietary pipelines.” This philosophy underpins Immens’ promise to let creators add or modify subsystems—rendering, physics, UI—without being forced into a one‑size‑fits‑all workflow. The motivation behind the project is rooted in the current economic pressures of game development.
Brussee describes the market as “rough,” noting that production budgets keep inflating while the risk of failure grows. “We need new ways of working that lower costs and let smaller teams ship high‑quality experiences faster,” he argued.
De Jong echoed this sentiment, pointing out that the engine space has become overly standardized and consolidated. While standardization offers a solid foundation, the industry now needs genuine innovation rather than incremental refinements. One of the key criticisms De Jong has of existing engines is their monolithic nature. Developers must adapt to rigid file formats and toolchains, which can stifle creativity.
With AI‑driven adaptability, Immens intends to become a responsive platform that molds itself to a project’s unique demands. “Flexibility is essential,” he said. “You should be able to swap components, append new ones, and build custom tools that match your workflow, down to the exact shortcuts and UI layout you prefer.” Valient acknowledges that AI is powerful but can be unpredictable if left unchecked.
To mitigate this, Immens is designed to keep users in full control of the engine’s actions, providing transparent histories and repeatable processes. He illustrated the impact with a simple example: instead of spending weeks scripting five characters with a specific trait, a developer could generate the assets over a coffee break, reuse the tool for similar tasks, and discard it afterward—dramatically reducing time and cost. Immens also embraces open standards to ensure seamless interoperability with the broader ecosystem of game‑development tools. Brussee highlighted the advantage of text‑based file formats: “When files are human‑readable, any tool—including AI—can parse and manipulate them.
This opens the door for smooth integration with Blender, Maya, or any generative system, because everything speaks the same language.” He believes that many current engines act as isolated islands, whereas Immens wants to be a bridge that connects diverse software through shared standards. The conversation around AI in game creation is polarized.
Some commentators on platforms like LinkedIn hype the notion of “click‑to‑game” engines that could produce Grand‑Theft‑Auto‑scale experiences from a single prompt. Immens’ team tempers such hype, describing AI as a powerful tool rather than a replacement for human creativity. Valient warned that AI’s disruptive scale can generate negative perceptions, but he remains optimistic: “AI will make every developer better; the challenge is to use it responsibly.” De Jong added that any technology can be misused, and the industry must guide its application with ethical considerations. Economic anxieties also swirl around AI, with skeptics labeling the sector a bubble.
Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, noting that while many companies vanished, the underlying internet persisted and flourished. “AI isn’t disappearing,” he said. “Good products built on solid technology will survive, regardless of market hype.” Funding for Immens remains modest. The founders have secured initial commitments but have not disclosed exact figures, describing the amount as “reasonable.” Brussee cautioned against excessive capital, noting that too much money can breed complacency: “Startups need to stay scrappy; otherwise you lose the edge that drives innovation.” The company currently consists of the three founders plus a handful of helpers, deliberately keeping the team lean to make swift decisions and maintain agility.
Immens is now focused on delivering a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI‑driven editing workflow. The team aimed to have the demo ready by year‑end but has already accelerated the timeline, achieving a prototype in roughly half the expected time. Brussee admits that predicting exact milestones is challenging when progress outpaces expectations. Regarding the business model, Immens admires Epic’s “we succeed when you succeed” licensing approach but admits it’s too early to commit to a specific strategy.
Ultimately, the founders hope their engine will empower creators to push the medium forward, fostering risk‑taking and artistic expression. “We love games and want to see more daring, innovative titles,” Brussee concluded. “If our technology can help make that happen, it would be amazing.”