China’s Tencent turns to Ireland’s Havok for Iron Knight combat power

Intel-owned Irish games technology company Havok has been chosen to supply the technology that powers the new title Iron Knight from one of China's top game companies, Tencent Games.

The company said its Havok Physics, Havok Animation Studio and Havok AI products are being used in Iron Knight , which is a highly anticipated online melee combat game developed by Aurora Studios that was showcased at the recent Game Developer Conference in San Francisco.

"We've had a team on the ground in China for two years now, and been doing business for four or five years," David Coghlan, managing director of Havok, told Asia Briefing .

“We saw more interest from indigenous developers about two years ago. With Tencent, we are conscious that they are a giant within the games industry,” said Coghlan.

For Iron Knight , Tencent chose Havok to deliver dynamic battlefields, enhanced graphics, efficient character AI, more realistic animations and detailed destruction effects to offer players the most authentic fighting action possible.

“In my experience, there is a huge ambition level for game development. It’s going to be very innovative in coming years, with a lot focused on the domestic market. Things move fast in China, and things move fast in the games industry,” said Coghlan.

Havok’s team in China will work closely with developers at Aurora Studios to deliver “the most vibrant and immersive gaming experience possible”, he said.

Steve Gray, Tencent executive producer and Iron Knight chief consultant, described integration of Havok technology as "an essential piece of the internationalisation plans for Iron Knight ".

“The development team designed the game from the ground up with a global audience in mind and we believe this international effort is a bold, new direction that holds great promise for fans of battlefield action everywhere,” said Gray.

Havok began life as a spinout from Trinity College Dublin in 1998, and its technologies are currently being used in more than 500 titles, including many of the major video games on the market, such as Halo 4 and Call of Duty: Black Ops II .

It is used on all the major platforms, including Xbox 360, PlayStation, Wii and PC, and the iOS and Android mobile platforms.

The company has previously been involved in a number of film projects, with its technology used in the Matrix , Harry Potter and the James Bond film Quantum of Solace .

Headquartered in Dublin, Havok also has offices in San Francisco, Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai and Germany.