Just wondering if its possible to replicate the real world using something like google maps and/or bing maps into a game in real time. With 5G internet on the way and next gen consoles, i wonder if developers could create something using this technology.
It’s possible, but free data doesn’t have enough detail or resolution for it to be accurate or worthwhile.
Of course the follow-up question is: what are we calling a 'game'? If it's just a digital experience with mechanics and challenges, then a top down driving game played on top of the satellite images would qualify. Or a strategy game made with a highly-zoomed out map. But I imagine you mean something like an FPS or GTA clone. It CAN be done, but it's either not gonna look good, or it's gonna be crammed with some procedurally generated filler detail and won't be quite like the real world. I could spend more time than I have talking about this at length, but I'll just leave you with this: https://www.outerra.com/ This is probably the closest real thing to what you're talking about. It uses public data, filled in with procedural generation and a handful of hand-built models to generate and populate a 1:1 spherical planet Earth. It's cool, but it also does a good job of demonstrating the shortcomings of the tech.
Microsoft flight simulator will be the closest to what you're after currently. It won't have perfect scenery at ground level and I'm not sure if the entire world will be 3D, but it's your best bet for this idea currently
