New European Game Engine Aims to Rival Unreal with AI Integration, Led by Industry Veteran
May 9, 2026
A European game engine project, The Immense Engine, is being developed by Arjan Brussee, the Guerrilla Games co-founder and former Epic Games director, aiming to rival Unreal Engine 5 with full AI integration.
Brussee’s background at Epic and Guerrilla is highlighted to frame The Immense Engine as a Europe-centric alternative with potential strategic uses beyond gaming.
The project is in early development with no announced launch date or detailed technical specs yet.
There is no final release date or official confirmation; the effort is described as forthcoming rather than a released product.
Brussee argues current engines were built for mouse-driven workflows and that broad AI-driven frameworks could reduce manpower by enabling work with fewer people.
The plan reportedly involves AI agents within the framework, with speculation about using European AI models like Mistral to maintain a European focus.
Industry context notes a broader trend of AI integration in game development, but concrete details for The Immense Engine remain undisclosed.
A key competitive angle is data sovereignty and regulatory compliance, positioning the initiative against Unreal and Unity.
The project is motivated by opportunities from AI growth, envisioning AI agents performing substantial portions of development work.
The article notes Unreal Engine 5 performance concerns, citing examples and developer optimization efforts as context for competition.
The Immense Engine is positioned as Europe-centric competition to Unreal, which could prompt Epic to improve its next iteration.
European engines exist but have struggled with adoption, with CryEngine as a notable, less widely adopted example.
Summary based on 4 sources
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Sources

Gizmodo • May 9, 2026
Europe May Soon Get a Non-U.S. Alternative to Unreal Engine
Tech4Gamers • May 9, 2026
Guerilla Co-Founder Is Making A New Game Engine With AI-Integration To Rival Unreal Engine
Tbreak Media • May 9, 2026
Guerrilla Games founder builds European Unreal riva | tbreak
Video Games Chronicle • May 9, 2026
Guerilla Games co-founder and Epic veteran building ‘a European alternative’ to Unreal Engine