Microsoft Game Studios Europe Licenses Havok Middleware

Microsoft Game Studios Europe said Thursday that it licensed Havok Spectrum, giving the developer access to Havok's physics, animation, and behavior middleware for future titles. The licensing deal comes just over a year after Microsoft Game Studios' North American home base signed a "perpetual licensing agreement" that put Havok software tools in Microsoft's studios. Havok's tech is found in over 200 games, including internal Microsoft titles Halo 2, Halo 3, Banjo Kazooie Nuts & Bolts, and Fable 2. Microsoft-owned Banjo Kazooie house Rare said that the UK-based studio has a long-standing partnership with Havok, having used the software on shipped products and also prototypes. Rare head of software Salvatore Fileccia said in a statement, "We are looking forward to building on this partnership, keeping Rare at the forefront of game innovation and helping us to deliver world-class Xbox 360 and Project Natal experiences." Developers of games using Microsoft's camera-controlled Project Natal will likely place particular emphasis on physics, as users will be using their own body parts to move virtual objects around on screen. Earlier this year, Havok debuted Havok Cloth in THQ's UFC 2009: Undisputed, which simulates cloth properties in digital entertainment.