Guerrilla Co-Founder Builds European Game Engine Challenger

*Arjan Brussee, co-founder of Guerrilla Games and ex-Epic tech director, launches a project for a new engine positioned as a European counter to dominant U.S. tools like Unreal and Unity.*

Arjan Brussee is developing a new game engine designed as a European alternative to Unreal and Unity. These U.S.-based engines hold sway over much of the global game development scene, and Brussee's effort aims to offer developers an option rooted in European priorities.

Brussee co-founded Guerrilla Games, the studio behind titles like Killzone and Horizon Zero Dawn. He later served as a tech director at Epic Games, the company behind Unreal Engine. Now independent, he is working on this engine to address what he sees as the U.S.-centric nature of existing tools.

The project positions itself directly against Unreal, developed by Epic in North Carolina, and Unity, headquartered in San Francisco. Both engines power a wide array of games, from indie projects to AAA blockbusters, but they come with licensing models and features shaped by American corporate interests. Brussee's engine seeks to provide a rival that aligns more closely with European regulations, data privacy standards, and development workflows.

Details on the engine's technical specifications remain sparse at this stage. It is early in development, focused on creating a viable alternative for European studios wary of reliance on foreign tech stacks. Brussee has not disclosed timelines for a public release or beta testing.

Game developers in Europe have long adapted to tools from across the Atlantic, often navigating licensing fees, export controls, and integration challenges. This new initiative could shift that dynamic, giving local teams a homegrown option that might better incorporate GDPR compliance or support for regional hardware preferences.

No formal reactions from Epic or Unity have surfaced yet. Industry observers note that building a competitive engine from scratch is a massive undertaking, requiring years of refinement to match the ecosystems around Unreal and Unity, which include vast asset stores, documentation, and community support.

This matters because Europe's game industry, valued at billions, deserves tools that don't force devs to bow to U.S. dominance. Unreal and Unity excel in flexibility and scale, but their control over pipelines can stifle innovation elsewhere—think mandatory cloud integrations or ad-driven revenue models that clash with EU antitrust scrutiny. Brussee's engine, if it gains traction, could foster a more balanced market, letting European creators build without the overhang of American IP lock-in. Success isn't guaranteed; history shows most challengers fade. But in a field where two engines claim over 80% market share, any serious rival pushes the whole sector forward.

For developers, the real test will come when Brussee's engine hits playable milestones. Until then, it stands as a bold statement: Europe wants its own engine room.

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Sources:

• Eurogamer