Unity to Use IPO to Move Past Games to Real-World Challenges

For more than a decade, game developers have been using a tool called the Unity engine and its easy-to-use tutorials to create more than half of the top 1,000 mobile games available on the Apple Inc. and Google app stores.

That simplicity has turned Unity Technologies Inc. into a household name in the industry. But the 16-year-old company behind the engine has ambitions beyond games. Unity is going public this week seeking to raise $1.2 billion to expand into 3D software that helps companies solve a wide range of real-world challenges -- from training new employees to simulating passenger traffic in a busy airport. The stock market debut also comes as one of its biggest competitors, Fortnite creator Epic Games Inc., is locked in a legal battle with Apple.