From Guerilla and Epic to Building an Unreal Engine Competitor
Arjan Brussee, best known as co-founder of Guerilla Games and former technical director at Epic Games, is now turning his attention to the foundations of game creation itself. His new project, The Immense Engine, is positioned explicitly as a game engine alternative to dominant platforms such as Unreal and Unity. Rather than simply adding another tool to a crowded market, Brussee frames the initiative as a strategic play: an engine fully hosted and built locally, and designed to follow local rules and guidelines from the ground up. That background matters. Brussee’s experience spans early AAA console development to overseeing technology at one of the world’s most influential engine makers. The Immense Engine therefore sits at the crossroads of major studio know-how and the agility of an indie game engine effort, seeking to rethink what core tools should look like in the era of AI-heavy production pipelines.
AI Game Development at the Core, Not as an Add-On
What distinguishes The Immense Engine most clearly is its AI-first philosophy. Brussee describes the project as featuring “full” generative AI integration, treating AI agents as a central design pillar rather than a bolt-on feature. His argument is that AI game development demands a different approach to tool design: less manual clicking through menus and more automated systems that can shoulder work traditionally handled by large teams. In a recent podcast appearance, he suggested that a well-structured framework of AI agents could match the output of ten to fifteen people, reflecting a strong belief in the productivity gains of generative systems. While established tools like Unreal and Unity are already rolling out their own AI features, The Immense Engine is being conceived from day one around these capabilities, hoping that native integration will offer a smoother, more cohesive workflow for teams exploring AI-driven content creation.
A European-Hosted Vision and Strategic Autonomy in Tech
Beyond pure technology, The Immense Engine is framed as part of a broader push for greater autonomy in key digital infrastructure. Brussee emphasizes that the engine will be fully hosted locally, built by local teams, and aligned with local regulatory expectations. This positioning taps into ongoing debates over reliance on foreign software platforms in areas ranging from entertainment to defence. Game engines already serve as backbones for simulators and training tools, and Brussee openly notes potential applications for the defence industry alongside traditional gaming. By combining compliance-focused hosting with a modern toolchain, The Immense Engine seeks to offer an Unreal Engine competitor that addresses not only creative needs but also policy and governance concerns. In this sense, the project speaks to policymakers and simulation vendors as much as to game studios, highlighting engines as strategic infrastructure rather than just middleware.
Indie Ambition Backed by AAA Experience
The Immense Engine also reflects a growing movement of independent developers challenging the status quo of game technology platforms. While many studios rely on established engines, recent years have seen more teams explore bespoke tools or niche frameworks to regain control over pipelines, licensing, and technical direction. Brussee’s effort is unusual in that it brings heavyweight AAA experience—spanning Guerilla Games’ high-end productions and Epic’s engine operations—into an indie-spirited project. That blend could resonate with mid-sized developers and ambitious indie teams seeking a game engine alternative that is both nimble and production-proven in its design philosophy. Still, key questions remain: there is no public timeline, no detailed feature roadmap, and no clear indication of how it will match the breadth and ecosystem depth of existing leaders. For now, The Immense Engine stands as a statement of intent: an AI-native, independently driven Unreal Engine competitor in the making.