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[Sinatar]

Well if the licensing deals are profitable enough for Microsoft to continue, then why would Intel sell it?

 

[Dabanton]

What does this mean ? Future ps4 games won't have havok?

Nothing as extreme as that. Things will just continue as they have been. Just MS makes more money from it being licensed.

 

[Zombegoast]

Demon's Souls Remastered: No Havok Edition exclusive to PS4

Demon's Souls Remastered: Dark Souls 2's Physics edition exclusive to Ps4.

 

[5taquitos]

Well if the licensing deals are profitable enough for Microsoft to continue, then why would Intel sell it?

Why does anyone sell anything?

 

[Hoo-doo]

Nothing will change. This is solely to make money, they'll just license havok to whoever needs it.

Good buy for them.

 

[Nightengale]

Interesting acquisition. They'd be creaming money off most games released.

Why do I feel this is the first of some big acquisitions for MS isn't their event next week...

Next week is hardware event, not software.

 

[entremet]

It seems like this logo is on at least half of the video games I play.

I can't stand how these logos are appear.

TLOU did it right.

 

[Nibel]

I assume they will go the Minecraft route and keep things as they are?

 

[Kriken]

I swear I've seen the Havok logo so many times in games, big get for Microsoft

 

[NeOak]

Demon's Souls Remastered exclusive to XB1.

Demon's Souls Remastered: No Havok Edition exclusive to PS4

Nintendo to discontinue Smash Bros series.

It's over

This is actually a pretty big deal, especially when you account for how shitty it's only competition, PhysX, tends to run on ATI hardware (aka the PS4).

Unless Microsoft plans to continue licensing it out to everyone, which seems unlikely.

ITT: People who don't know how contracts work. More news at 11.

 

[dragonbane]

This is actually a pretty big deal, especially when you account for how shitty it's only competition, PhysX, tends to run on ATI hardware (aka the PS4).

Unless Microsoft plans to continue licensing it out to everyone, which seems unlikely.

Of course they will. They are not stupid lol

 

[AllGamer]

Unless Microsoft plans to continue licensing it out to everyone, which seems unlikely.

It says so right in the OP

and continue to license Havok’s development tools to partners

 

[Miles Quaritch]

This is actually a pretty big deal, especially when you account for how shitty it's only competition, PhysX, tends to run on ATI hardware (aka the PS4).

Unless Microsoft plans to continue licensing it out to everyone, which seems unlikely.

Like when people said that Minecraft would be MS platform exclusive.

 

[Ridley327]

Well if the licensing deals are profitable enough for Microsoft to continue, then why would Intel sell it?

It's probably just as simple as Intel not wanting to be a part of the console gaming business anymore, as their interests lie elsewhere.

 

[Captain Tuttle]

Big news

Nothing will change

 

[OmegaDL50]

Microsoft is a business first. They would never deny potential business partners/money.

Pretty much this.

Just because Microsoft now owns the right to the Havok physics engine doesn't mean it will only be used exclusively in Microsoft products.

There will still be 3rd party and even competing 1st party titles from Sony or Nintendo that could utilize that Havok engine.

This purchase isn't to prevent competitors from using it. It's to allow Microsoft to get a piece of the profits on any game it's used on.

Microsoft thinks in business to make money by additional means, not in fanboy rationalities with limited scope.

 

[JaggedSac]

Interesting cloud related purchase. Perhaps of relevant note, MS announced GPU resources in azure.

 

[LewieP]

This is actually a pretty big deal, especially when you account for how shitty it's only competition, PhysX, tends to run on ATI hardware (aka the PS4).

Unless Microsoft plans to continue licensing it out to everyone, which seems unlikely.

If there were no option to license it for PS4, no publishers would just drop PS4 support, they would drop Havok.

I imagine that Havok will stay platform agnostic for the immediate future. Perhaps there will be Xbox/Windows 10 specific benefits, but forcing devs using it to be Microsoft exclusive would kill their licensing business.

 

[LiK]

MS will be getting money from all the games. it's a smart acquisition.

 

[SmartWaffles]

This is actually a pretty big deal, especially when you account for how shitty it's only competition, PhysX, tends to run on ATI hardware (aka the PS4).

Unless Microsoft plans to continue licensing it out to everyone, which seems unlikely.

MS doesn't have problems with more money.

 

[C0unter]

Is Intel going through financial difficulties or is there some other reason behind them selling Havok, seems like an odd decisions? Also do we know how much microsoft payed?

 

[yatesl]

People suggesting future games on the PS4 won't use Havok need to take their console war blinders off.

I'm surprised Intel sold. They're not exactly struggling for cash (as far as I know.)

 

[Somnid]

My guess is long term they want a cheap physics API with good DirectCompute integration to keep people firmly in the Windows platform.

 

[R10Neymarfan]

I wonder if they'll integrate this into Direct X 12.1 or 12.2

 

[Chobel]

Good move by MS. Havok is widely used.

 

[wapplew]

What it call? That AR thingy, is this move related to that?
Or for crack down

 

[Ghost Slayer]

ITT: People who don't know how contracts work. More news at 11.

ITT: people who just want to joke about it

 

[CO_Andy]

Thanks for the laughs, Havok.

 

[KingBroly]

MS will be getting money from all the games. it's a smart acquisition.

Some companies will probably stop using it, though. But this buy could mean a number of things.

 

[GameWhisperer]

This is actually a pretty big deal, especially when you account for how shitty it's only competition, PhysX, tends to run on ATI hardware (aka the PS4).

Unless Microsoft plans to continue licensing it out to everyone, which seems unlikely.

LOL at people thinking MS will shut off people from using Havok.

 

[Hoje0308]

Once again, we have to remind people that MS is run by businessmen, not childish fanboys that sleep next to a black box every night. They have more to gain by licensing out the technology than they do by forcing developers to find a new multiplatform solution.

This is actually a pretty big deal, especially when you account for how shitty it's only competition, PhysX, tends to run on ATI hardware (aka the PS4).

Unless Microsoft plans to continue licensing it out to everyone, which seems unlikely.

Great, it's already happening.

 

[Wagram]

Changes nothing most likely. Even though businesses compete with one another they still do business with each other. For example; Sony supplies Apple with camera sensors despite competing with them with the Xperia.

Not everything is a console war.

 

[Ol No Bones]

Probably has something to do with cloud compute.

 

[Troy]

This just made life a lot harder for any gamer that ever uttered the phrase, "I'll never give a cent to Microsoft after what they did...".

 

[jesu]

Incorporating it into their cloud computing stuff by the sounds of it and licensing it out.

 

[Nirolak]

Well it certainly makes much more sense than Intel, who really has no benefit to owning them since Larrabee was shot into the sun.

 

[Altered Juice]

ITT: People who don't know how contracts work. More news at 11.

ITT: gaffer takes sarcasm seriously. More news at 11

 

[dragonbane]

As for why MS bought this, its probably to foster their cloud physics computation, as thats the best use it has for gaming right now. A native integration into Havok could increase the potential interest.

 

[Bits N Pieces]

Interesting acquisition. They'd be creaming money off most games released.

Why do I feel this is the first of some big acquisitions for MS isn't their event next week...

Tom Warren posted this from The Verge earlier today, there might be Xbox related news at the conference, might.

http://www.theverge.com/2015/10/2/9438727/microsoft-event-preview-surface-pro-4-release-lumia-950-xl

 

[Off-Kilter]

This is actually a pretty big deal, especially when you account for how shitty it's only competition, PhysX, tends to run on ATI hardware (aka the PS4).

Unless Microsoft plans to continue licensing it out to everyone, which seems unlikely.

You got it the other way around man.

Microsoft licensing and collecting royalties is the infinitely more likely scenario.

But yes it's still a pretty big deal.

 

[Oneself]

Uncharted Collection will now give money to MS!

 

[JeffG]

Some companies will probably stop using it, though.

Why would they do that? Companies do not invest in a solution to just throw it away.

 

[jesu]

Some companies will probably stop using it, though. But this buy could mean a number of things.

Who do you think would stop using it?
Why would they stop using it??

 

[dragonbane]

This just made life a lot harder for any gamer that ever uttered the phrase, "I'll never give a cent to Microsoft after what they did...".

That gamer is usually not aware anyway that most games are created through MS software like Visual Studio, including Sony games lol

 

[10k]

If Microsoft are in a buying mood to get stuff from Intel then maybe the acquisition of a AMD isn't ungrounded.

A physics engine/tech is in a much lower pricing tier than an entire computer component company.

 

[crinale]

Well to benefit from monopoly Microsoft could jack up the royalty fee for non-Microsoft platforms. However I don't know how strong havok's monopoly is so I may be totally off.

 

[Peltz]

I doubt Microsoft would prohibit the use of havok on non-MS platforms. If they do, third party devs will simply avoid it.

It's not like there aren't other ways that devs do physics. Platform agnosticism is more important than havok will ever be.

 

[D4Danger]

they should buy NaturalMotion off Zynga (seriously, why did they buy it?). Makes me sad we don't see that more in games and instead get floppy ragdolls from the 90s

 

[HUELEN10]

Wow Microsoft, that's bold!

 

[Xpliskin]

I must have missed a readme or something.


I really hope this is just a business acquisition and that MS staff stays as far away as possible from it.