Tuesday, 18 September 2007

Intel Acquires Irish Games Developer

Intel, the world’s dominant chipmaker has bought Irish games developer Havok for an undisclosed amount. Havok develops digital media creation software and services....

Intel, the world’s dominant chipmaker has bought Irish games developer Havok for an undisclosed amount. Havok develops digital media creation software and services.

Intel acquired Havok as the company will help it spread its base in visual computing and graphics space even while continuing to develop products for all computing platforms.

Havok chief executive officer, David O'Meara said Intel's scale of technology investment and customer reach would only help them grow more rapidly into newer market segments with newer products than they could have ever hoped to achieve by themselves.

Intel vice president and general manager (software and solutions group), Renee J. James, spoke of Havok's proven expertise in physics technology for gaming and digital content. James said this would now become a key element of Intel's visual computing and graphics efforts.

Havok was founded in Dublin in 1998 and is known for helping game developers simulate real world physics in their games. Havok tools, services and products have been used in games including BioShock, Stranglehold, Halo 2, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Crackdown, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, MotorStorm, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and Half Life 2. And in movies such as the gravity defying The Matrix, Troy, Kingdom of Heaven, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.