Unity and Unreal have long been the dominant forces in game development, accounting for roughly 70% of Steam releases in 2025. While Godot has enjoyed a surge in popularity and some studios cling to proprietary solutions such as Capcom's RE Engine, the market has largely been a duopoly.
Against this backdrop, three seasoned veterans—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—have launched Immens, a new AI‑enhanced engine that they believe can carve out a meaningful niche. The trio’s résumés read like a who's‑who of the industry: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple.
Their combined expertise gives them a unique perspective on why a fresh engine is needed. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee argued that the timing is ripe: "A few years ago the idea of an AI‑augmented engine didn’t exist; now the technology has matured enough to let developers start from scratch again and get functional results quickly." Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, clarifies that the AI component is not about generating assets from text prompts—a misconception that has taken hold in many circles. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make the codebase highly extensible.
"If we design the engine with AI reasoning in mind, even a solo developer can add a custom particle system or a bespoke gameplay mechanic without wrestling with opaque scripting layers," he explains. The goal is to let creators focus on design while the AI assists in extending and maintaining the engine. The motivation behind Immens is rooted in the current economic pressures of game development. Brussee describes the environment as "rough" and notes that production budgets are ballooning, making it harder for small studios to survive.
"We need new ways of working that reduce costs, shrink team sizes, and accelerate timelines," he says. By leveraging AI to automate repetitive coding tasks and streamline iteration, Immens hopes to break the cycle of ever‑increasing expense. De Jong, the chief product officer, points out that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated.
While this has provided a stable foundation, it also stifles innovation. "The industry is facing a set of challenges that cannot be solved by simply polishing the same old tools. We need a paradigm shift, not another incremental update," he asserts. He criticizes the monolithic nature of existing engines, which often force developers to conform to proprietary file formats and rigid pipelines.
With AI, Immens aims to deliver a flexible platform that adapts to the developer’s workflow rather than the other way around. Flexibility is a recurring theme. De Jong envisions an ecosystem where users can swap components, append new modules, or rewrite interfaces to match their personal preferences. "Imagine being able to craft a toolset that mirrors your exact workflow—custom shortcuts, tailored UI, and specialized features—all without fighting the engine’s default conventions," he says.
Valient acknowledges AI’s double‑edged sword nature. While the technology is "really powerful," it can also veer off course if left unchecked.
Immens therefore emphasizes transparency and control: developers can see the AI’s decision history, reproduce results, and intervene whenever necessary. This level of oversight is intended to keep the creative process reliable while still benefiting from AI‑driven speed. The engine’s design philosophy rejects a one‑size‑fits‑all workflow. De Jong stresses that Immens provides a framework, not a prescribed method.
Teams can decide how much AI to incorporate and where, ensuring that the tool aligns with their artistic and technical goals. Open standards play a crucial role in this vision. By using text‑based, human‑readable file formats, Immens can interoperate seamlessly with popular tools like Blender, Maya, or any generative‑AI pipeline. "When everything speaks the same language, you can plug in new software without a painful conversion step," Brussee notes.
There is a vocal backlash against AI in game development, often fueled by sensational claims that a single prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑scale experience. Immens’s founders temper such hype, positioning AI as a powerful assistant rather than a magic button. Valient predicts that someday "click‑to‑game" engines might exist, but for now the focus is on empowering creators to produce higher‑quality work faster.
Economic anxieties also swirl around AI, with some investors labeling the space a bubble. Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, arguing that while many companies will fade, the underlying technology will endure.
"AI isn’t disappearing; it’s becoming the infrastructure that lets us dream bigger and iterate quicker," he says. Immens aims to be a durable, high‑quality engine that benefits from AI without being a speculative fad. Funding remains modest. Immens has secured its "first commitments" but has not disclosed amounts, describing the target as "reasonable".
Brussee warns against over‑capitalization, noting that excessive cash can breed complacency. The company intentionally stays lean—just the three founders and a handful of helpers—so they can remain scrappy and make deliberate technical choices.
Balancing team size with ambition is a delicate act. De Jong explains that building an engine is a complex, long‑term endeavor that cannot be rushed by throwing a million developers at it. Yet there is a narrow window of opportunity as AI matures and industry needs evolve. Immens is racing to deliver a proof‑of‑concept demo that showcases AI‑driven editing workflows, aiming for a public release within the month.
"We expected this to take us until the end of the year, but we’re already twice as fast," Brussee reports. The business model is still under discussion.
While Immens admires Epic’s "we succeed when you succeed" revenue share, they consider it premature to lock in specifics. Ultimately, the founders hope their engine will enable more creative risk‑taking and push the medium forward. "We love games and want to see more daring, artistic expression. If Immens can help studios bring those visions to life, that would be amazing," Brussee concludes.