Dark
Light

Navigating the New Frontier: How Game Technology and AI Are Reshaping Industries

by
July 9, 2025

The gaming industry has long been a crucible for innovation, pushing the boundaries of technology and creativity. Its tools and techniques are now rippling across diverse sectors, from automotive to media, transforming how businesses approach digital creation. Some gamers play on platforms such as PS5 and P.C and other players like to partake in other activities such as online poker real money games.

The 2024 State of Game Technology Report by Perforce Software, in collaboration with JetBrains, offers a deep dive into this trend, highlighting the widespread adoption of game engines, the rise of generative AI, and the challenges organizations face in this dynamic landscape. Drawing on insights from industry leaders like Streamline Studios, this article explores how game technology is revolutionizing industries, the role of AI in driving efficiency, and the financial and operational hurdles that accompany this transformation.

Game Engines Break Beyond Gaming

A pivotal finding from the 2024 report is the expanding role of game engines, with 50% of surveyed professionals reporting their use in non-gaming projects. Industries such as media and entertainment, automotive, and manufacturing are leveraging tools like Unreal Engine and Unity for applications ranging from digital twins in factories to immersive training programs in education.

This shift reflects the versatility of game engines, which offer real-time rendering, physics simulations, and user-friendly interfaces that streamline complex digital projects.

In the automotive sector, for instance, game engines are used to create virtual showrooms and simulate vehicle designs, reducing prototyping costs. In media and entertainment, they power virtual production sets, enabling filmmakers to craft realistic environments without physical stages.

The report notes that 63% of respondents use Unreal Engine, underscoring its dominance due to its robust integration with tools like JetBrains Rider, favored by 34% of AAA studios and 46% of indie studios. This cross-industry adoption marks a turning point, as game technology becomes a cornerstone of digital innovation.

Generative AI: A Double-Edged Sword

Generative AI is reshaping creative and operational workflows across industries, with the report highlighting its diverse applications. In media and entertainment, 56% of respondents use ChatGPT, 35% employ Midjourney, and 25% leverage DALL-E for tasks like concept art and content creation. In gaming, AI tools like Suno and Udio are automating music composition, while platforms like GitHub Copilot (used by 15% of respondents) assist with coding. These tools enhance efficiency, allowing teams to focus on high-level creative tasks.

However, the adoption of generative AI is not without challenges. The 2024 State of Game Technology Report underscores ethical concerns, including intellectual property risks and data biases, echoing warnings from a December 2024 study by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers. This study predicted a potential 20% income drop for artists as AI-generated content floods markets.

In gaming, 52% of developers reported using AI tools in 2025, up from 31% in 2024, but 30% now view its impact negatively, citing concerns over job displacement and content quality. Smaller studios, particularly indie developers, are more agile in adopting AI (37% usage versus 21% at AAA studios), but larger studios often impose stricter policies, with 20% banning AI tools outright due to ethical and legal uncertainties.

Financial Challenges in a High-Stakes Industry

Funding emerges as the top obstacle for 36% of respondents, with media and entertainment (42%), education (42%), and gaming (37%) feeling the pinch most acutely. The gaming industry, projected to reach $500 billion by 2025, faces soaring production costs, with AAA titles often exceeding $100 million.

Streamline Studios emphasizes the need for financial agility to navigate these challenges, advocating for diversified revenue streams, such as co-development and digital transformation projects, to mitigate risks. Their approach includes leveraging AI-driven analytics and cloud-based financial tools to optimize budgets, a strategy that aligns with the report’s findings on the importance of tech-driven efficiency.

The report also highlights regional disparities, with APAC respondents reporting lower funding concerns (28%), likely due to access to emerging markets. Streamline Studios’ global operations across Southeast Asia, Latin America, North America, and Europe exemplify this, using multi-currency transactions and risk mitigation to maintain stability.

However, the industry’s wave of layoffs—41% of developers reported job cuts in 2025—underscores the need for sustainable budgeting and strategic hiring to weather economic uncertainty.

Workforce Dynamics: Balancing Access and Skills

The report reveals a shift in workforce priorities, with 90% of respondents valuing access to senior leadership over remote work (81%). This reflects a demand for strategic guidance in navigating complex technologies like AI and game engines.

Additionally, 98% of hiring managers prioritize candidates’ ability to learn new skills, particularly as AI reshapes roles. In gaming, newer developers (60% with less than 10 years’ experience) are gravitating toward design roles, while veterans shift to production and management, signalling a generational transition.

Streamline Studios echoes this focus on talent investment, reinvesting in training to keep teams versatile and adaptable. The report notes that AAA studios rely on CI/CD tools like Jenkins (41%) and TeamCity (23%) to streamline collaboration, but smaller studios struggle with funding for such infrastructure.

This divide highlights the need for accessible tools to level the playing field, especially as game technology expands into sectors like healthcare and automotive.

Strategic Financial Planning for Long-Term Success

Streamline Studios outlines three pillars for financial success in gaming: agility, risk management, and long-term value creation. Their diversified revenue model—spanning art services, co-development, and digital transformation—reduces reliance on single income streams, a strategy applicable across industries adopting game technology.

By leveraging AI for financial modeling and automation, they optimize costs without sacrificing quality, aligning with the report’s emphasis on efficiency through consolidated tech stacks.

Risk management is critical in an industry facing rising costs and market volatility. Streamline’s lean budgeting and strategic hiring practices mirror the report’s findings that sustainable operations are key to resilience. Their focus on high-growth areas, such as metaverse integration and AI-driven development, positions them to capitalise on emerging trends, a sentiment shared by 67% of IT leaders in a Salesforce survey who see generative AI as a “game changer” for their businesses.

The Future: Balancing Innovation and Ethics

The 2024 State of Game Technology Report paints a picture of an industry at a crossroads, where game technology and generative AI offer immense potential but demand careful navigation. The widespread adoption of game engines beyond gaming signals a new era of digital creation, with applications in virtual production, training simulations, and product design.

However, the integration of AI raises ethical questions, from intellectual property disputes to job displacement fears, particularly in creative fields like music and narrative design.

Streamline Studios’ emphasis on long-term investment in talent and technology aligns with the report’s call for strategic foresight. As industries embrace tools like Unreal Engine and AI platforms, they must address funding challenges, upskill workforces, and establish governance to mitigate AI risks.

The report’s data on diverse AI toolkits in media and entertainment suggests a future where interdisciplinary collaboration drives innovation, but only if organizations balance automation with human creativity.

Conclusion: Charting a Path Forward

The convergence of game technology and generative AI is redefining how industries create and compete. From virtual showrooms to AI-generated music, these tools are unlocking new efficiencies and possibilities.

Yet, as the 2024 State of Game Technology Report and Streamline Studios’ insights reveal, success hinges on overcoming funding hurdles, fostering adaptable workforces, and addressing AI’s ethical challenges.

By prioritising financial agility, strategic investment, and human-centred innovation, organizations can harness the transformative power of game technology to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital landsca