For more than a decade, Unity and Unreal have been the de‑facto platforms for video‑game creation, accounting for roughly seventy percent of all titles launched on Steam in 2025. While the open‑source Godot engine has enjoyed a surge in popularity and some heavyweight studios still rely on proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example—the market has largely been dominated by the two giants. Enter Immersive, a fledgling startup founded by three industry veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient.
Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of game‑development powerhouses, featuring stints at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Together they argue that there is still room for a fresh engine, and that the next generation of tools must be built with artificial intelligence at its core. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new engine that simply didn’t exist a few years ago. “With AI‑assisted programming you can start from a clean slate again,” he said.
“Guided by smart automation, you can assemble a fully functional pipeline much faster than before.” Valient, Immersive’s chief technology officer, clarified that the company’s use of AI is not about the hype‑driven “prompt‑to‑asset” gimmick that many developers fear. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible. “The AI can reason over large code‑bases and data sets,” he noted. “If we design the underlying system with that capability in mind, even solo developers or tiny teams can plug in custom features—like a bespoke particle system—without being confined to a narrow scripting layer.” This extensibility, he argued, is what will let creators iterate more quickly and safely.
The motivation behind Immersive’s AI‑powered engine stems from the current state of the games market, which Brussee describes as “rough.” Development costs keep climbing, and smaller studios find it increasingly difficult to break even. “We need new ways of working that lower the financial barrier,” he said.
“If we can make tools that let teams build games faster, with fewer people and smaller budgets, we reduce the risk to studios and the livelihoods of the creators.” De Jong, the chief product officer, observed that the engine landscape has become overly standardized and consolidated. While that consolidation provides a solid foundation, it also stifles innovation. “The industry faces many challenges, and simply repeating the old formulas won’t solve them,” he asserted.
“What we need now is genuine innovation, not more of the same.” One of the pain points De Jong highlighted is the monolithic nature of existing engines. Developers often have to bend to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows.
With AI, Immersive aims to deliver an engine that adapts to the developer rather than the other way around. “Flexibility is key,” he explained. “You should be able to swap modules, append new functionality, and craft tools that match your personal workflow—down to the exact shortcuts, UI layout, and feature set you require.” Valient also warned that AI, while powerful, can “go off the rails” if left unchecked.
To mitigate this, Immersive is building transparency into the system: users can see exactly what the AI is doing, review its decision history, and ensure reproducibility. This level of control, he believes, will let creators harness AI for rapid prototyping—imagine generating five unique characters with specific traits over a coffee break—without sacrificing artistic intent. The engine’s design deliberately avoids imposing a single workflow.
De Jong emphasized that the framework is meant to be a canvas, allowing developers to decide how much AI they want to employ and where. “We provide the architecture; you decide the process,” he said. “The AI must understand the context correctly, but the ultimate direction stays in the hands of the creator.” Interoperability is another cornerstone of Immersive’s strategy.
By embracing open standards and text‑based file formats, the engine can seamlessly communicate with tools like Blender, Maya, or any generative‑AI pipeline. “When files are human‑readable, any system can parse them,” Brussee noted. “That openness lets us plug in external software without the usual proprietary bottlenecks, creating smarter interfaces across the entire production chain.” The broader community remains divided on AI’s role in game development.
Some commentators on LinkedIn predict a future where a single prompt could spawn a Grand‑Theft‑Auto‑scale experience, fueling fears of “click‑to‑game” shortcuts. Immersive’s team acknowledges that such extremes might one day be possible, but they view AI primarily as an accelerator, not a replacement for craftsmanship. “AI will make everyone better,” Valient said. “It currently carries negative connotations because it’s disrupting at an unprecedented scale, but it’s simply a tool.” Economic anxieties also linger.
Critics warn that AI‑centric startups could be part of a speculative bubble, reminiscent of the dot‑com era. Valient counters that while bubbles burst, the underlying technology—like the internet—endures and evolves.
“AI isn’t disappearing,” he argued. “The companies that survive will be those with solid products.
Our focus is on building a great engine; AI just helps us move faster and dream bigger.” Funding for Immersive remains modest. The founders have secured initial commitments but have not disclosed exact figures, describing the amount as “reasonable.” Brussee cautioned against excess capital, noting that too much money can breed complacency. “Startups need to stay scrappy,” he laughed. “A lean team forces disciplined decision‑making.” Indeed, the company currently consists of the three founders plus a handful of helpers.
They believe a small, focused group can navigate the complex engineering challenges without the chaos of a massive staff. De Jong explained the trade‑off: “You can’t throw a million developers at an engine and expect it to work.
You need a tight team to iterate, make hard choices, and hit the market window that AI is opening.” Immersive is now racing toward a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a full editing workflow powered by generative AI. The prototype is slated for release within the month, and the team is already moving faster than their original timeline. “When we started in April we thought we’d be ready by year‑end,” Brussee recalled.
“We’re now twice as fast, so predicting exact dates is tricky.” The business model is still under discussion. While Immersive appreciates Epic Games’ “we succeed when you succeed” revenue share, they admit it’s too early to commit to a specific approach. Ultimately, the founders hope their engine will enable more daring, creative games that push the medium forward. “We love games as an art form,” Brussee concluded.
“We want to empower creators to take risks, innovate, and produce experiences that would have been impossible without this technology. That would be amazing."