A new European game engine initiative is taking shape, led by industry veteran Arjan Brussee, the co-founder of Guerrilla Games and former technical director at Epic Games. The project aims to create a new engine that can compete directly with established tools like Unreal Engine and Unity, while being fully developed and hosted in Europe.

Brussee, who also previously worked on Epic’s Jazz Jackrabbit series and held senior roles on Unreal Engine, is now developing a new system called The Immense Engine. He describes it as a “European alternative” to existing American and Chinese game engines.

A Push For European Engine Independence

Speaking on the Dutch podcast De Technoloog, Brussee explained that the goal behind The Immense Engine is to establish a fully European-built and European-hosted game engine. He also emphasised compliance with European regulations as a core design principle.

He stated that no current major engine is fully built within Europe under European rules and standards. As a result, he sees a gap in the market that could be filled by a new approach to engine development.

Brussee also noted that game engines are becoming increasingly important beyond gaming. For example, they are now widely used in simulations, including defence systems and logistics planning.

AI At The Core Of The New Engine

A major focus of The Immense Engine is the integration of artificial intelligence at a foundational level. Brussee believes that current engines like Unreal Engine were designed around traditional workflows that rely heavily on manual tools and menu-based systems.

He argued that these systems require changes to be applied broadly across an entire engine, which limits flexibility. In contrast, he believes AI-driven development could fundamentally change how such tools are built and used.

According to Brussee, the rise of AI should reshape how complex software like game engines is designed. He suggested that structured AI agent systems could significantly reduce production workload, potentially allowing small teams to achieve results that would normally require far more manpower.

A Shift In How Game Worlds Are Built

Brussee also pointed out that modern game development is becoming increasingly complex. Therefore, he believes new engine architecture should reflect more flexible and automated workflows.

He described The Immense Engine as a system built on new construction principles rather than legacy design limitations. In addition, he emphasised that his experience across multiple generations of game development gives him a unique perspective on how tools should evolve.

While no release window or technical demonstration has been revealed yet, the project highlights a growing interest in diversifying the global game engine landscape. If successful, it could introduce a new competitor in a space currently dominated by Unreal Engine and Unity.