[osg-users] Why isn't OpenSceneGraph used in games?

[Jannik Heller]

Hi,

Good point, but I think there's more to it than just performance. There are games using off-the-shelf scene graphs, for example Bethesda RPG games (Elder Scrolls, Fallout) are built on Gamebryo, which is a general purpose scene graph much like the OSG. (Note Gamebryo is a bit more than just a scenegraph, it also has game engine functionality e.g. physics, but that's besides the point).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Gamebryo_engine_games

I think we can categorise most AAA devs into two groups:
1. People that want to roll everything on their own (and have the resources to do so)
and 2. People that want to build on a complete game engine (asset pipeline, physics engine, etc. think Unity, Unreal, Gamebryo).

OSG is kind of in a niche since it doesn't fit either group.

I also think there may be a stigma against free/open sources engines. (Maybe related to licensing and/or paid support). 

Third, there is the fact that Direct3D has had a dominant position in the games industry for years, and OSG in built on OpenGL only.

Cheers,
Jannik

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