For years, the landscape of game development has been defined by a rigid hierarchy. Unity and Unreal Engine have maintained a stranglehold on the market, powering approximately 70% of all titles launched on Steam throughout 2025. While niche alternatives like Godot are gaining traction and major studios-such as Capcom with its proprietary RE Engine-continue to build in-house solutions, the broader industry remains heavily reliant on these two giants.<\/p>\n
However, a new venture named Immens is looking to fracture this status quo. Founded by industry heavyweights Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient, the startup aims to prove that the current market dominance of Unreal and Unity is not an insurmountable barrier. The founders bring a wealth of experience from some of the most influential organizations in tech and gaming, including stints at Epic Games, Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and Apple.<\/p>\n
The team at Immens believes the timing is perfect for a paradigm shift. According to Arjan Brussee, the technological landscape has evolved in a way that makes a new engine not only viable but necessary. In a recent discussion with GamesIndustry.biz<\/em>, Brussee highlighted that the window of opportunity for a new entrant is wider today than it has been in recent memory.<\/p>\n The secret weapon for this new engine is the integration of artificial intelligence. Brussee suggests that AI-assisted programming has fundamentally changed the cost-benefit analysis of building software from the ground up. “With the help of AI-supported programming, you can probably start making things from scratch again,” he noted. By utilizing AI to handle the heavy lifting under strict human oversight, the team aims to accelerate the development of a fully functional, modern engine that can compete with legacy platforms.<\/p>\n The ambition behind Immens is to move beyond the bloated, complex workflows that often plague modern game development. By rethinking the architecture of an engine from the perspective of AI-native workflows, the founders hope to provide developers with a more efficient, streamlined experience. As the industry grapples with rising development costs and longer production cycles, a fresh, AI-driven approach could offer a much-needed alternative to the established titans.<\/p>\nBreaking the “Doom Cycle” of Modern Development<\/h3>\n