Tech major Microsoft on Saturday acquired Irish video game engine and 3D physics provider Havok from American chip-maker Intel.
“Havok is an amazing technology supplier in the games industry and the leading real-time physics creator. We saw an opportunity to acquire Havok to deliver great experiences for our fans,” Microsoft said in a blog post.
Founded in 1998 in Dublin before being purchased by Intel, Havok, licenses its physics technology to developers.
Although the technology major did not give out any details about the acquisition, it said: “Microsoft’s acquisition of Havok continues our tradition of empowering developers by providing them with the tools to unleash their creativity to the world.”
“We will continue to innovate for the benefit of development partners. Part of this innovation will include building the most complete cloud service, which we’ve just started to show through games like ‘Crackdown 3’,” it added.
Involved in more than 600 games, Havok has previously partnered with companies like Activision, EA, Ubisoft, Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft on games like Halo, Assassin’s Creed, Call of Duty, Destiny, Dark Souls and The Elder Scrolls.
Physics provider also contributed in developing special effects in movies like The Matrix and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.