Aside game development, Japan wants to use Unity and Unreal Engine to simulate floods, redesign cities and more

Japan has found other uses for engines required for game development. Tools like Unity and Unreal Engine are now used beyond gaming and applied to areas such as flood simulations, urban planning, and retail innovation. According to a report by Nikkei Asia, companies and local governments are adopting these technologies to create digital twins and virtual environments that can help visualise real-world scenarios and improve decision-making.Originally designed for video game development, game engines are now being used to simulate infrastructure projects, disaster risks, and consumer experiences in Japan. Game engines, first developed around 1980 to support graphics rendering and input processing, are now widely used across industries. Unity Technologies and Epic Games, the creators of Unity and Unreal Engine, account for a significant share of this market.Construction company Taisei Corporation has been using game engine technology since 2020 to build digital twins of redevelopment projects. These virtual models allow municipal leaders to view proposed developments and request changes that can be implemented in real time.The technology is also being used for disaster preparedness. Tokyo-based startup Cluster has partnered with the city of Sendai to simulate floods using hazard maps. Residents can explore these scenarios in virtual environments to better understand risk areas."Currently, industrial applications are the main use of the metaverse," Cluster CEO Naoto Kato said.Beyond urban planning, retailers are also using game engine-powered platforms. On VRChat, Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Store has created and sold 3D kimonos, allowing users to dress avatars in traditional clothing.The company has also recreated cultural performances such as Iwami Kagura in virtual form. The project attracted around 10,000 visits within a week, with about 20% of users coming from outside Japan."We look to use our understanding of users gained through consumer-oriented businesses, such as avatar sales, and our track record with Iwami Kagura to receive orders for virtual space production from companies and local governments," said Louis Okazaki, head of the metaverse unit at Daimaru Matsuzakaya.As industries experiment with these tools, the use of game engines is expanding beyond entertainment into areas such as infrastructure, disaster management, and commerce."The essence of the metaverse is how to use game technology for things other than games," Kato added.