Gaming firm acquires key technology tool

INTEL-OWNED Irish gaming software firm Havok has acquired the technology product Kore Virtual Machine for an undisclosed sum.

Kore Virtual Machine (VM) was developed by Havok founders Steven Collins and Hugh Reynolds for their subsequent venture, New Game Technologies.

The product, shortly to be rebranded as Havok Script, is a technical tool which reduces the cost of the production of console-based video games.

Kore VM has been licensed by Sega, Bungie, Lionhead, Masthead Studios, United Front Games, NetDevil and other studios for use with their products. Kore is also currently powering the title Supreme Commander 2which is published by Square Enix.

Havok, which has offices in Dublin, Tokyo and San Francisco, is a leading provider of interactive software and services to the gaming and film industries.

It was founded based on research in Trinity College Dublin.

It has a portfolio of six products which help game developers and digital animators make the visual effects in games and films more realistic and interactive.

Havok's Emmy-award winning physics engines have been used to drive visual effects in nearly 270 well-known game titles, including Halo Reach, Assassin's Creed 2, Uncharted 2,and Bioshock 2, while a further 130 games are currently in development.

Havok products have also been used to drive special effects in films such as C lash of the Titans, Watchmen, Quantum of Solace, Harry Potter And The Order of The Phoenixand The Matrix.

Commenting on the acquisition, Mr Reynolds, chief executive at New Game Technologies, said “we’d been looking at taking the company in a new RD direction for some time. I guess we thrive on new product development, so we were delighted when the opportunity came up to place the Kore VM technology with Havok”.