For years, Unity and Unreal have ruled the game‑development landscape, powering roughly 70% of the titles that appeared on Steam in 2025. While open‑source alternatives like Godot have begun to gain traction, and a handful of studios cling to proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a notable example—the market has largely been a duopoly.
Into this entrenched environment step three seasoned industry veterans: Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient, the founders of Immens. Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of game‑tech powerhouses, spanning Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. Together they believe there is still room for a fresh engine, one that learns from the shortcomings of its predecessors and leverages modern AI to reshape how games are built.
In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new platform. “A few years ago this kind of engine didn’t exist,” he said. “With AI‑assisted programming we can start from a clean slate again, while still keeping tight guidance and control.
That lets us deliver full‑featured tools much faster.” Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarified that the AI they employ is not the flashy, prompt‑to‑image style that dominates headlines. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible.
“AI can reason over massive code and data sets,” he noted. “If we design the engine with that in mind, even a solo developer can plug in a custom particle system or a bespoke animation pipeline without being limited to a tiny scripting layer. The goal is to let creators extend the engine quickly and safely.” The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the current economic pressures of game development. Brussee described the market as “rough,” noting that production costs keep climbing, making it harder for small teams to survive.
“We need new ways of working that cut costs and shrink timelines,” he argued. “If we can build games with fewer people, tighter budgets, and faster iteration, studios won’t have to gamble their entire livelihood on a single title.” De Jong, the chief product officer, observed that the engine space has become overly standardized and consolidated. While this has given developers a solid foundation, it also stifles innovation.
“The industry faces a suite of challenges, and repeating the old playbook won’t solve them,” he said. “What we need now is genuine innovation, not more standardization.” He criticized the monolithic nature of existing engines, which force developers to conform to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows. With AI, Immens aims to flip that model, offering an engine that adapts to the user’s needs rather than the other way around.
Flexibility is a recurring theme in Immens’s design philosophy. De Jong envisions a system where developers can swap components, append new modules, or completely rewrite tools to match their personal workflow. “Imagine being able to craft a UI that mirrors exactly how you think, with the shortcuts, features, and layout you prefer,” he explained. “That level of customization empowers teams to work efficiently and creatively.” Valient also warned that AI, while powerful, can misbehave if left unchecked.
Immens therefore places the user in full control of the engine’s actions, preserving a clear history of changes and ensuring repeatability. He illustrated this with a practical example: creating five characters with a specific trait used to take weeks of planning and manual labor.
With AI‑driven tooling, a designer could sketch the concept over breakfast, generate the assets, and then discard the temporary tool after a handful of uses—dramatically reducing cost and time. The architecture of Immens deliberately avoids imposing a single workflow. De Jong emphasized that teams decide how much AI to incorporate and where to apply it.
“We provide the framework; you decide the process,” he said. “The AI must understand the context correctly, but the ultimate direction stays with the developer.” Interoperability is another cornerstone.
By embracing open, text‑based standards, Immens can communicate seamlessly with popular tools such as Blender, Maya, or any generative‑AI pipeline. Brussee highlighted that when files are human‑readable, any AI can parse and manipulate them, breaking the isolation that many proprietary engines enforce. This openness promises smoother pipelines and less friction when integrating third‑party assets. The conversation around AI in game development is polarized.
Some commentators on LinkedIn hype “click‑to‑game” engines that could conjure Grand‑Theft‑Auto‑scale experiences from a single prompt. Immens’s founders temper those expectations, viewing AI as a powerful assistant rather than a magical shortcut. “One day we might see click‑to‑game,” Valient admitted, “but for now it’s a tool that makes every developer better.” De Jong added a note of responsibility: AI can be misused, just like any technology, and the industry must steer it toward productive, ethical applications. Economic anxieties also surface, with critics labeling the AI boom a bubble.
Valient compared the situation to the dot‑com era: the hype may wane, but the underlying internet didn’t disappear. “Some companies will fail, but solid technology and great products endure,” he argued. Immens aims to be that enduring product, using AI to accelerate development without relying on inflated valuations. Funding remains modest.
Immens has secured its “first commitments” but has not disclosed amounts, describing the target as “reasonable.” Brussee cautioned against over‑funding, noting that excess cash can breed complacency. The team currently consists of the three founders plus a handful of helpers, a deliberately lean structure that allows rapid decision‑making and avoids the bureaucracy of larger studios. Balancing team size with ambition is a delicate act. De Jong explained that building an engine is a complex, long‑term effort that cannot be rushed by simply adding more staff.
“You need a small, focused group to iterate, make hard choices, and learn from mistakes,” he said. At the same time, timing is critical; the window for AI‑driven disruption may close if competitors catch up. Immens is already working on a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases a generative‑AI editing workflow, slated for release this month.
Brussee noted that the project, which began in April, is progressing twice as fast as initially projected, underscoring the speed gains AI can deliver. The business model is still being refined. While Immens appreciates Epic Games’ “we succeed when you succeed” licensing philosophy, they consider it premature to lock in a specific approach. Ultimately, the founders hope their engine will empower creators to push the medium forward, fostering more artistic risk‑taking and innovation.
“We love games and want to see more daring, expressive experiences,” Brussee concluded. “If our technology can help developers build bolder titles, that would be amazing."