Intel picks up Havok

Intel will acquire Havok, the physics engine specialist, whose Havok FX allows this type of management via the GPU and which has already created quite a stir.

A final agreement for this transaction was signed last week. While the press release explains that the Irish company will continue to operate independently with its clients, either way, this is a nice move by Intel who has thus acquired a company whose technology is used in more than 150 games including BioShock, Stranglehold, Halo 2, Half Life 2, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Crackdown, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, and MotorStorm.

It would be misleading to think that this buyout is without motive. Indeed, Intel most likely isn’t too happy with the possibility of moving CPU physics processing to the GPU. Finally, we can also count on first-rate optimizations from Havok for current and future Intel architecture.