For 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 open‑source alternatives like Godot have gained traction and some studios cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a notable example—the duopoly of Unity and Unreal still appears unassailable.
Enter three industry veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—who have teamed up to launch Immens, a fresh AI‑infused game engine that they believe can carve out a meaningful niche in this crowded market. Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of modern game development: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Together they argue that the status quo is ripe for disruption. 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 sufficient anymore.” He sees AI‑assisted programming as a catalyst that can bring developers back to a state of creative freedom, allowing them to “start making things from scratch again” while still retaining tight guidance and control.
In his view, AI can accelerate the delivery of fully‑functional features without the long‑drawn‑out hand‑coding cycles that have become the norm. Valient, Immens’ chief technology officer, stresses that the AI they employ is not the kind of generative prompt‑based magic that dominates headlines. Instead, it is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible.
“AI can reason about massive amounts of data and source code,” he says. “If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even a solo developer can plug in a custom particle system, a bespoke animation pipeline, or any other feature without being confined to a limited scripting layer.” This philosophy aims to give creators the tools to extend the engine quickly and safely, rather than relying on opaque black‑box generators. The motivation behind Immens is also deeply tied to the current economic climate of game development.
Brussee describes the market as “rough,” noting that production budgets continue to balloon while the risk of failure grows. “We need new ways of working that lower costs, shrink team sizes, and speed up timelines,” he argues.
By leveraging AI to automate repetitive tasks and streamline iteration, Immens hopes to make it possible for small studios to launch high‑quality experiences without jeopardising their financial stability. De Jong, the chief product officer, points out that the engine space has become overly standardized and consolidated. While this has provided a solid foundation, he believes the industry now demands genuine innovation rather than incremental tweaks. “The monolithic approach of current engines forces developers to conform to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows,” he explains.
“With AI, we can build an engine that bends to the developer’s needs, not the other way around.” He envisions a flexible system where users can swap components, append new modules, and craft bespoke tools that match their personal workflows—down to the exact shortcuts, UI layout, and feature set required for a particular project. Valient is quick to acknowledge AI’s pitfalls. Though he calls the technology “really powerful,” he warns that it can “go off the rails quickly if you don’t pay attention.” To mitigate this, Immens is designed to keep developers in the driver’s seat. Every AI‑driven action is logged, reproducible, and fully transparent, allowing creators to understand the history of a change and roll it back if necessary.
This level of control is crucial for maintaining artistic intent and avoiding the black‑box syndrome that has plagued some AI tools. One of the most compelling promises of Immens is the ability to accelerate creative workflows dramatically. Consider the task of generating five distinct characters with specific traits.
Traditionally, this might involve weeks of modeling, rigging, and animation. With Immens, a developer could outline the desired attributes over a coffee break, let the AI generate the assets, and then fine‑tune them as needed.
The resulting tools could be reused for future projects or discarded after a single use, dramatically reducing the cost of iteration. Flexibility is baked into the engine’s DNA. De Jong stresses that Immens does not impose a single workflow; instead, it offers an open architecture where teams decide how much AI to incorporate and where. This modularity extends to interoperability: by embracing open, text‑based standards, Immens can seamlessly exchange data with popular tools such as Blender, Maya, or any future generative‑AI pipelines.
“If the files are readable as text, any AI can parse them, manipulate them, and write them back,” Brussee notes. This openness contrasts sharply with many existing engines that act as closed ecosystems, hindering cross‑tool collaboration.
The broader AI debate in game development is far from settled. Critics on platforms like LinkedIn sometimes sensationalize the technology, claiming that a single prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale world. Immens’ founders acknowledge that while a “click‑to‑game” future is conceivable, they view AI primarily as an empowering tool rather than a replacement for human creativity.
Valient believes that AI will make every developer better, even if the hype currently casts it as a disruptive menace. Economic anxieties also swirl around AI, with many questioning whether the sector is a bubble. Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era: the internet didn’t disappear when the bubble burst; instead, only the unsustainable businesses fell away. He argues that Immens is focused on building a solid, useful product, using AI to speed development and broaden creative horizons.
Whether the market is in a bubble remains uncertain, but the team is confident that a well‑crafted engine will endure regardless of broader valuation swings. Funding for Immens is still in its early stages. The founders have secured “first commitments” but have not disclosed exact figures, describing the amount as “reasonable.” Brussee cautions against over‑funding, noting that an excess of capital can breed complacency.
“Startups need to stay scrappy,” he says with a laugh. The company remains intentionally lean—just the three founders plus a handful of helpers. This small size is strategic: building a sophisticated engine does not require a massive workforce, but it does demand careful decision‑making and iterative progress.
De Jong explains the balancing act: “You need enough people to hit the window of opportunity created by AI, but not so many that you lose focus.” Immens is currently racing toward a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a live editing workflow powered by generative AI. Originally slated for a year‑long development timeline, the team has already delivered the demo in roughly half that time, illustrating the speed gains they claim AI can provide.
The business model is still under discussion. While Immens admires Epic Games’ revenue‑share approach—“we succeed when you succeed”—Brussee admits it’s too early to commit to any specific licensing or pricing structure. Ultimately, the founders hope their engine will catalyze a new wave of artistic risk‑taking. “We love games as a complex form of expression,” Brussee says.
“We want to see more creativity, more daring ideas, and more innovation built on technology like this. If we can help make that happen, it would be amazing.”