The developer of the ubiquitous Havok engine has a new home under the Microsoft banner. On October 2nd, the Redmond tech giant purchased the Dublin firm from Intel corps for an undisclosed sum of money. Swift to assuage industry fears that the move would bring the popular Havok engine in-house only, Microsoft put forth this statement on their blog.
“As we welcome Havok to the Microsoft family, we will continue to work with developers to create great gaming experiences, and continue to license Havok’s development tools to partners. We believe that Havok is a fantastic addition to Microsoft’s existing tools and platform components for developers, including DirectX 12, Visual Studio and Microsoft Azure“
In the face of stiff competition from Google, Apple and Sony as well as the ongoing paradigm shift in home computing habits, Microsoft has been undergoing a philosophical change that has seen the company shy away from the old “a Windows computer in every home” mantra that led them to market dominance in the 90s, to a more platform agnostic position that sees the company returning to its roots as a software and services operation.
Under the leadership of recently appointed CEO, Sataya Nadella, Microsoft has begun developing their popular products and services for non-Microsoft platforms, including the welcome surprise of Microsoft Office coming to Android and iOS. In that context, the decision to continue licensing the Havok physics engine is one that aligns perfectly with Microsoft’s new direction.
The Havok engine has been used to produce a number of high profile projects, from films such as The Matrix and Kingdom of Heaven, to mobile hits such as Gangstar Vegas and Modern Combat 4. Head over to Microsoft’s blog for more information on Microsoft’s deal with Intel and what else is in store for Havok.
Source: Microsoft
