How GAIM Brought Modern Software Development to VR Game Development

Taking software development to the next level is not always about building something new. Sometimes it is about improving how you build. That was exactly what GAIM set out to do. As a leading developer of premium VR simulators for hunting and sport shooting, they wanted to release new content faster without compromising quality or the gameplay experience.

The challenge?
A highly creative game development team working with outdated tools and manual processes. Together, we helped GAIM move from “it works on my machine” to a modern software development workflow with CI/CD, automated testing, and better conditions for true software craftsmanship.

About GAIM

GAIM develops VR simulators for hunting, sport shooting, and professional users, including law enforcement. Their solution combines VR headsets, replica firearms, and realistic scenarios to create immersive training experiences. It is a highly specialized and technically advanced product where reliability and user experience are equally important.

Behind the scenes, however, several challenges limited the team’s efficiency:

• Game content relied on binary assets that were difficult to version control.
• File locking prevented parallel development.
• Builds were created manually in Unreal Engine.
• Bugs were often discovered late, only after testing in a VR headset.
• Most testing was performed manually.

In short, developers spent more time troubleshooting than improving the game.

The Mission: Building a Modern Foundation

We began with a technical assessment and quickly identified a clear need for automation, repeatability, and testability. The goal was to create a sustainable workflow that takes every change from source code to a validated VR experience.

The Solution: Modernizing GAIM’s Development Process

To help GAIM release new content faster and with greater confidence, we modernized the development process step by step.

• Automation from start to finish: Every code change triggers automated workflows that build, test, and validate the application without manual intervention.
• Earlier testing, higher quality: We moved testing closer to the development process. Instead of discovering issues at the end of the release cycle, the team can identify problems early before they reach end users.
• Testing in real VR headsets: We developed a solution that automatically validates the application inside physical VR headsets. This enables GAIM to verify both stability and gameplay experience before every release.
• Supporting software craftsmanship: Smart validation tools help the team detect issues such as missing audio or graphical inconsistencies, allowing developers to spend more time creating great experiences.

The result?
A more predictable and sustainable development process that allows GAIM to focus on what makes their VR simulators truly unique.

The Technology Behind the Solution

1. CI/CD with Jenkins and Docker

We implemented a CI/CD pipeline using Jenkins where the project is built inside a standardized Docker environment. Whether it is Unreal Build Tools or Android SDKs, every dependency is version-controlled and isolated.

The impact:

• Reproducible builds
• Less dependency on local development environments
• A solid foundation for automated testing and quality assurance

2. Automated Testing Directly in Unreal Engine

To validate game logic, we created automated tests directly in Unreal Engine using both Blueprints and C++. This makes the tests easier for game developers to understand, maintain, and extend while providing rapid feedback.

Tests can be executed:

• Directly inside the editor by developers
• Automatically through Jenkins
• With results presented in JUnit format for clear reporting and traceability

3. Game VCR: Automated VR Test Runs

One of the project’s most innovative components was Game VCR, our solution for automated testing in physical VR headsets. Jenkins builds the APK, deploys it to a dedicated test machine, and executes a sequence of recorded user interactions automatically.

The system collects:

• Gameplay video recordings
• Android logs
• Performance metrics such as FPS and memory usage

The result:

• Automated stability testing
• Earlier detection of visual issues
• Immediate feedback directly within the CI/CD pipeline

4. Software Craftsmanship in Practice

We also focused on improving the overall development experience. Using design rules, asset validation, and intelligent build log filtering, the pipeline automatically detects issues such as:

• Missing audio assets
• Incorrect textures
• Asset naming inconsistencies

This leads to:

• Better code reviews
• More consistent quality
• Less time spent debugging and more time spent creating

The Result: Modern Game Development Without Compromising the Experience

Following this transformation, GAIM now has:

• A complete pipeline from source code to a validated VR experience
• Automated testing both inside Unreal Engine and in physical VR headsets
• Significantly earlier bug detection
• A more sustainable and creative development environment

By automating the build, testing, and quality assurance process, GAIM reduced manual work, identified issues earlier, and created better conditions for faster releases without compromising the gameplay experience. Most importantly, they now have a modern software development workflow that strengthens the product instead of slowing it down.

Note: This case describes the solution and development workflow delivered as part of the project with GAIM. Since then, the organization, its ways of working, and the technical environment have continued to evolve.