Companies from numerous industries are increasingly turning to the tools and techniques of computer game developers to offer their users new services, according to a study by DevOps and automation software manufacturer Perforce.

The company State of Gaming Technology Report 2024 The study included contributions from 546 respondents from 64 countries and aimed to determine companies’ attitudes towards the use of game engine technology.

The company has been conducting research projects examining technology adoption trends in the gaming industry for several years, but the scope of this year’s report is significantly broader.

“This year we’re doing something different. In recent years, practices that were once exclusive to game developers have gained traction in industries facing similar challenges,” the report said.

“Recognizing these trends, we expanded the scope of this year’s report to collect data on the increasing relevance of gaming technology in media and entertainment, education, engineering, automotive and manufacturing.”

The results of this research found that half (50%) of respondents said that game development technology is used in a variety of use cases and projects outside of gaming.

According to Perforce’s report, the technology is also being used in automotive, manufacturing, education, architecture, virtual production and general IT environments.

The reasons for this are varied and are explained in the report, which was produced as part of a collaboration between Perforce and the productivity software manufacturer JetBrains.

“Game developers have always been at the cutting edge of scalability and performance requirements. From mobile devices to virtual reality headsets, game developers must develop their projects with a variety of new platforms, requirements and use cases in mind,” the report said.

And it seems that companies in other industries have not missed this either, looking to leverage the tools and technologies offered by gaming companies to gain a competitive advantage as their IT projects become increasingly complex.

“Economic uncertainty and the rise of remote and globally distributed teams have made projects increasingly complex. In addition, consumers now expect high-quality and realistic visualizations – which take more time and require more data – for a variety of applications,” the report said.

“Companies are also looking to consolidate technology toolsets across their enterprise to save resources and reduce costs. Gaming technology is often viewed as extremely versatile, with a comprehensive set of integrations that enable teams to work across a variety of workflows and industries.”

Brad Hart, CTO and vice president of product management and digital creation at Perforce, said there has been “unprecedented adoption” of gaming technology in other industries in recent years, which he believes is due to the reputation of game developers who were the first to drive its use.

“I commend the game developers for developing versatile workflows based on a set of fundamental tools that streamline collaboration and manage complexity on a global scale,” he said.