For a long time now, Havok has provided developers with tools that would allow them to add realistic in-game physics models to their games.
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Havok helps developers create gaming experiences and sells licensed tools to partners. One such innovation includes “building the most complete cloud service”.
Havok Cloth is a platform-optimized runtime and toolset that dramatically increases the believability of game characters and environments. Now, thanks to a deal with former owner Intel, Microsoft has successfully acquired Havok. “We saw an opportunity to partner together to deliver great experiences for our fans”, Microsoft said in its statement.
When reached for comment, a Microsoft representative told Gamasutra that “There will be no change to how Havok licenses its tech to game devs”. The sale, which went through today, could potentially spell negotiating trouble ahead for the makers of the PS4 and Wii U, as well as other third-party development studios that will now have to turn to the Redmond-based company for licensing the software. Havok’s technologies extend beyond the gaming community.
A good physics system can make or break a game. It’s packed with features like a new Xbox app, the ability to record and share gameplay through Xbox Live, and more. Havok Script is significantly faster than standard Lua and through a combination of internal optimizations and use of the Havok Script profiler, customers typically achieve a 2x speed improvement.
Microsoft has purchased the studio from Intel.
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For more on Microsoft’s acquisition of Havok, head on over to the official blog post.
