Defence firm licences Unreal for military sims

A US defence firm has licenced Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 3 to develop military training simulations.

Defence technology and software firm IPKeys Technologies licenced UE3 from Applied Research Associates. Its flagship simulation is the IED Gaming and Modeling Environment (I-GAME), which be powered by Unreal Engine 3 from now on.

I-GAME’s focuses on training Warfighters techniques, tactics and procedures for Counter-IED, providing 3D virtual environment for mission planners.

This serves the mission planner with sophisticated AI and a multitude of game assets, which will provide a fully immersive virtual environment for the Warfighter.

“With Unreal Engine 3, IPKeys can now create the most realistic maps, locales, conditions, materials and virtual soldiers to match exactly what the Warfighter sees, uses and knows,” said Kirk Hymes, director for Modeling and Simulation Applications and US Marine Corps Programs at IPKeys.

Mark Pappas, president of IPKeys, added: “We are extremely proud to offer the battle planner and Warfighter tactical, strategically-based, premier tools from the best sources – government and commercial alike. Specifically, deployed Warfighters who need reliable and trusted data can now use a lightweight platform to keep them out of harm’s way and allow for them to reach their objectives with the situational awareness they deserve.”

Epic isn’t the only game developer that has had its technology adopted for military use. Blitz Games’ upcoming Kinect title, Vitalize, is being created for use by the US military in rehabilitation.

Read more about I-GAME here.