Platinum Games Chooses Havok Physics, Animation For Vanquish

Dublin-based middleware firm Havok announced that Platinum Games selected its Physics and Animation middleware products for the developer's upcoming third-person shooter Vanquish. Havok Physics offers "real-time collision detection and physical simulation solutions" for developers, while Havok Animation is designed to deliver "an animation SDK and tool chain that provides optimized playback and real-time blending on all major platforms." The company's technology has been used in over 270 titles (and 120 games under development), including marquee releases like Assassin’s Creed 2, Uncharted 2, and Bioshock 2. Its products have also driven visual effects in films like Watchmen, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and many others. Directed by Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami and published by Sega, Vanquish is scheduled to release for PlatStation 3 and Xbox 360 later this month in North America, Japan, and Europe. Havok's middleware technologies are said to be used "throughout" the game. "Our vision was to create action on a scale that was unlike anything that has come before. With Havok’s proven technology, our development team in Japan was able to create the exciting and dynamic world in Vanquish," says Platinum Games's Atsushi Inaba. Inaba, who has previously worked on titles like Viewtiful Joe and Okami, and is serving as producer for Vanquish, added, "Using Havok, we were able to scale the interaction up to unprecedented levels and push gaming consoles right to their limits."