From Guerilla and Epic to Building a New Engine
Arjan Brussee, best known as a co-founder of Guerilla Games and a former technical director at Epic Games, is now building a new game engine called The Immense Engine. Drawing on experience from both triple-A development and engine leadership, Brussee is positioning this project as a game engine alternative to today’s dominant tools. The Immense Engine is framed as a fully locally hosted platform, built to follow regional rules and guidelines rather than relying on infrastructure controlled elsewhere. This emphasis on ownership and compliance aligns with broader efforts to grow homegrown technology ecosystems and reduce dependence on foreign platforms. While details on release timelines and commercial plans remain unknown, the pedigree behind the project alone is enough to make it a potential Unreal Engine competitor worth watching, particularly for studios that want more control over their tools and data.
AI as the Core Differentiator in Immense Engine
What sets The Immense Engine apart is its promise of “full” generative AI integration at the heart of the toolchain. Brussee argues that the rise of AI requires a fundamentally different approach to building crucial software such as game engines. Instead of designers and programmers manually navigating menus and asset libraries, he envisions frameworks of AI agents automating large parts of content creation and iteration. In his view, a well-orchestrated AI system could effectively do the work of ten to fifteen people, reshaping production workflows for game developers and simulation creators alike. This emphasis on AI game development is not just about speed; it’s also about enabling smaller teams to tackle projects that previously demanded vast resources. However, this promise inevitably raises questions about job displacement, creative control, and how much studios are willing to entrust to algorithmic tools.
A Strategic ‘European Alternative’ to Unreal and Unity
Beyond technology, The Immense Engine is explicitly framed as a “European alternative” to dominant US-developed engines such as Unreal and Unity. Brussee highlights that engines are no longer just for entertainment; they power simulations, training software, and other critical 3D applications. In that context, relying heavily on external platforms becomes a strategic concern. By pledging an engine that is locally built, locally hosted, and aligned with regional regulatory norms, the project taps into a broader political debate about technological self-reliance and digital sovereignty. The Immense Engine also targets non-gaming sectors, including potential defence applications, where control over infrastructure and data is especially sensitive. For developers, this positioning could translate into clearer compliance paths and fewer cross-border legal uncertainties. For policymakers, it represents a concrete attempt to anchor more of the 3D software stack within local ecosystems.
What Immense Engine Means for Developers Seeking Alternatives
For studios uneasy about lock-in to existing tools, The Immense Engine surfaces as a potential Unreal Engine competitor and game engine alternative. Its pitch combines AI-first workflows, regional hosting assurances, and a development philosophy rooted in automation. For game developers, the appeal lies in the promise of building 3D worlds faster, with fewer repetitive tasks and more assistance from generative systems. For teams in simulation, training, or other industrial applications, the tight integration of AI agents could streamline scenario creation and rapid prototyping. Yet significant questions remain: how mature the tooling will be at launch, whether it can match the ecosystem depth of Unreal and Unity, and how licensing, support, and community contributions will be handled. As those details emerge, developers will weigh whether Immense Engine’s AI-heavy approach is a genuine productivity breakthrough or another ambitious IOU from the future of AI game development.