For many years, Unity and Unreal have been the dominant forces in game creation, accounting for roughly 70% of the titles released on Steam in 2025. While open‑source alternatives like Godot have gained traction and some studios continue to rely on 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 have founded Immers (styled Immens) with the belief that there is still room for a fresh engine and for meaningful improvement. The trio’s 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.
Their combined expertise fuels a conviction that the status quo can be challenged. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee argued that the timing is right for a new engine, noting that "an opportunity now exists that simply didn’t exist a few years ago." A key differentiator, according to chief technology officer Valient, is how Immens leverages artificial intelligence.
He stresses that the AI baked into the engine is not about generating content from a single prompt, but about constructing an extensible codebase that can be rapidly customized. "AI can reason over large code‑bases and data sets," he explains.
"If we design the engine with that capability in mind, even solo developers or tiny teams can add new systems—say a bespoke particle system—without being confined to a limited scripting layer." The motivation behind this AI‑centric approach stems from the current economic pressures facing developers. Brussee describes the environment as "rough," pointing out that production budgets are swelling and the risk of failure is climbing.
He asks whether new workflows can break the cycle of ever‑higher costs, allowing studios to create high‑quality experiences with fewer people, tighter timelines, and smaller financial exposure. De Jong, Immens’ chief product officer, observes that the engine market has become increasingly standardized and consolidated.
While this has provided a solid technical foundation, he argues that the industry now needs innovation rather than further standardization. "Continuing to do exactly what we’ve always done won’t solve the challenges we face today," he says. "We need a different way of working." One of the pain points De Jong highlights is the "monolithic" nature of existing engines. Developers often have to bend their projects to fit proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines.
With AI, Immens aims to flip that relationship: the engine should adapt to the developer’s needs. He envisions a system where users can swap components, append new modules, and craft bespoke tools tailored to their personal workflow—complete with custom shortcuts, interfaces, and feature sets. Valient acknowledges that AI, while powerful, can behave unpredictably if left unchecked. To mitigate this, Immens is built to keep the user in the driver’s seat.
Every AI‑generated action is logged, repeatable, and transparent, allowing creators to understand exactly how a tool arrived at a result. This level of control is crucial for iterative creative tasks, such as generating a set of characters with specific traits in minutes rather than weeks.
Flexibility is baked into the engine’s architecture. De Jong stresses that Immens does not impose a single workflow; developers decide how much AI to employ and where to apply it. The framework is deliberately open, supporting open standards and text‑based file formats that can be read and manipulated by a variety of tools. "If you want to plug in Blender, Maya, or any generative system, you can because everything speaks a common language," Brussee notes.
This openness contrasts with many current engines that act as closed ecosystems, hindering seamless integration. The broader conversation about AI in game development is polarized.
Some commentators on platforms like LinkedIn hype the notion of "click‑to‑game" experiences where a prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑level world. Immens’ team acknowledges that such extreme visions may eventually be possible, but they view AI primarily as an empowering tool rather than a magic wand.
Valient believes AI will elevate the capabilities of all creators, stating that the technology is currently stigmatized because it is disrupting the industry at an unprecedented scale. Economic anxieties also swirl around AI, with fears of a speculative bubble. Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, arguing that while many AI startups will fail, the underlying technology will endure.
"AI isn’t going away," he says. "The internet survived its bubble, and the same will happen with AI. Our focus is on building a genuinely good engine; the AI simply helps us move faster and think bigger." Funding for Immens remains modest and undisclosed. The founders have secured "first commitments" but have not revealed the exact amount, describing it as "reasonable." Brussee warns against over‑capitalization, noting that too much money can breed complacency and reduce the scrappy mindset essential for a startup.
The company currently consists of the three founders plus a handful of helpers, deliberately staying lean to maintain agility. Balancing team size with the complexity of building an engine is a delicate act. De Jong explains that a massive workforce does not guarantee success; instead, a focused group can make thoughtful decisions and iterate efficiently.
At the same time, they must act quickly to capture the window of opportunity presented by the AI wave. Immens is now targeting a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases "the flow of editing something" using generative AI, with a launch slated for this month. Brussee admits that the timeline has moved faster than anticipated—what was expected to take until year‑end is already arriving ahead of schedule. Regarding the business model, Brussee admires Epic Games’ revenue‑share philosophy—"we succeed when you succeed"—but admits it is too early to commit to a specific approach.
Ultimately, the founders hope their engine will enable more daring, creative games and inspire risk‑taking within the industry. "We love games and want to see more complex artistic expression," Brussee concludes.
"If Immens can help push the medium forward, that would be amazing."