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Deep Dive | United States
From Smurfs' Village to Flight Simulator: the European game developers helping US intelligence up its game

By Pierre Gastineau
Reading time 5 minutes
Gaming, the new frontier of intelligence (1/2).
Gaming, the new frontier of intelligence (1/2). © Stéphane Oiry

This article is part of this Deep Dive

Gaming and intelligence, 1
Part 1 From Smurfs' Village to Flight Simulator: the European game developers helping US intelligence up its game
Part 2 Pokémon Go to the rescue… of spies

Strategic US technology is increasingly being developed by video game experts, and the conflict in Iran has shown their value. The European devs behind Microsoft Flight Simulator and Smurfs' Village are now at the vanguard making AI tools for intelligence.

More from this Deep Dive

Gaming and intelligence, 1 (2/2 published parts)

For decades, US intelligence and military communities have drawn inspiration from the world of video games, both for simulations and training purposes. But now, it is video game developers themselves, some hailing from Europe, who are at the vanguard making AI tools for US intelligence. We lift the lid on these pioneers. 

Part 1From Smurfs' Village to Flight Simulator: the European game developers helping US intelligence up its game
Part 2Pokémon Go to the rescue… of spies

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Headlines

Open-source satellite images that were not classified by the Pentagon are no longer accessible. View of the Iranian base at Konarak, destroyed by airstrikes, on 1 March, 2026.
Spotlight | United States Pentagon moves to further restrict access to intelligence on Iran Canada, China Chinese interference in G7 countries 'systemic', report warns
From left to right: Linda Sun, a Sino-American, and Peter Mandelson, a Briton, both of whom have been implicated in scandals that have rocked G7 countries.
France New leader appointed for key French electronic warfare unit
A soldier from the 54th Signal Regiment at the Oberhoffen camp in Haguenau, France, in July 2022.
Russia, Ukraine LingvaLexa, the NGO helping Kyiv pursue Russian propagandists before international courts
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko in Kyiv, on 7 May 2026.
France Rift widens between French defence ministers amid geopolitical crises
French Minister for the Armed Forces, Catherine Vautrin (left), and her deputy, Alice Rufo, in Brussels, on 15 October 2025.

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