Microsoft has just purchased Havok from Intel for an undisclosed price. This group develops one of the leading physics engines for video games and other software. It was used in every Halo title since Halo 2, including Halo Wars, and a fork of it drives the physics for Valve's Source Engine. It has been around since 2000, but didn't really take off until Max Payne 2 in 2003.
And the natural follow-up question for just about everything is “why?”
Hopefully this isn't bad taste…
Photo Credit: Havok via Game Developer Magazine (June 2013)
There are good reasons, though. First, Microsoft has been in the video game middleware and API business for decades. DirectX is the obvious example, but they have also created software like Games for Windows Live and Microsoft Gaming Zone. Better software drives sales for platforms, and developers can always use help accomplishing that.
Another reason could be Azure. Microsoft wants to bring cloud services to online titles, offloading some of the tasks that are insensitive to latency allows developers to lower system requirements or do more with what they have (which is especially true when consoles flatten huge install bases to a handful of specifications). If they plan to go forward with services that run on Azure or Xbox Live, then it would make sense to have middleware that's as drop-in as possible. Creating a physics engine from scratch is a bit of a hassle, but so is encouraging existing engines to use it.
It would be better to just buy someone that everyone is using. Currently, that's Havok, an open-source solution that is rarely used outside of other open-source systems, and something that's owned by NVIDIA (and probably won't leave their grip until their fingers are frigid and lifeless).
That's about all we know, though. The deal doesn't have a close date, value, or official purpose. Intel hasn't commented on the deal, only Microsoft has.
Something doesn’t sound quite
Something doesn’t sound quite right with this statement:
“It would be better to just buy someone that everyone is using. Currently, that’s Havok, an open-source solution that is rarely used outside of other open-source systems, and something that’s owned by NVIDIA (and probably won’t leave their grip until their fingers are frigid and lifeless).”
I get that the intent is to indicate that Microsoft is buying a widely used engine. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m having a tough time interpreting that from the above statement.
Right and the nvidia
Right and the nvidia reference is to physx?
I might suggest rewriting that sentence altogether for the sake of clarity. I struggled with it too.
I was making references to
I was making references to Havok, Bullet, and PhysX. The bracketed part is an intentional rewrite of "from their cold dead hands".
From wikipedia
From wikipedia entry:
Developer(s)
Havok (Microsoft)
Stable release
2011.2.0 / September 14, 2011; 4 years ago
Operating system
Windows, Windows RT, Windows Phone,[1] Unix, Linux, Android,[2] OS X, iOS, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP, PSVITA, GameCube, Wii, Wii U
License
Proprietary/Shareware
P.S. M$ will have to honor Havok’s current licensees, and continue to provide licensing options unless M$ takes Havok completely internal and licenses it to no others! Sony is safe unless M$ makes Havok internal use only!
Time for more support for the open source physics engines before M$ 3E’s things!
Valve uses Ipion
Valve uses Ipion technology(aquired by Havok) in its Source engine.
Also from wikipedia’s Source (game engine) entry:
” Source was developed part-by-part from this fork onwards, slowly replacing GoldSrc in Valve’s internal projects[7] and, in part, explaining the reasons behind its unusually modular nature. Valve’s development of Source since has been a mixture of licensed middleware and in-house-developed code. Among others, Source uses Ipion technology bought out by Havok to drive its internal physics engine,[8][9] and Miles Sound System and Bink Video respectively for music and video playback.[10]”
[7,8,9,10] see wikipedia’s Source entry.
M$ needs to be closely watched for mischievous licensing practices, as always!