When Microsoft acquired Havok back in October 2015, it seemed like a fairly big move. Havok’s Physics toolset was renowned in the industry and Microsoft’s Direct X API has been pretty much the de facto tool for game development. However, plans for Havok were fairly quiet, until recently.

Microsoft has registered a trademark for Direct Physics, filed in September 2016 and with a status date of January 31st 2017. There are several conclusions one could draw but the most obvious is that Microsoft is using Havok’s technology and further integrating it with Direct X technology.

Such a move wouldn’t be bad, especially given the company’s revitalized desire for gaming on PC courtesy of Windows 10 and the upcoming Project Scorpio that will arrive in Holiday 2017. The kinds of games that will result from the move still need to be seen.

What are your thoughts on Direct Physics? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned for more updates

Ever wondered what helped Sucker Punch Productions’ inFamous: Second Son maintain a strong physical fidelity without compromising on performance? Havok has announced today that the game has made use of their Havok Physics engine alongside Sucker Punch’s own in-house engine in order to bring the virtual world of Seattle in Second Son to life.

Havok Physics was used for simulation of objects and debris but also helped in delivering reliable collision detection. As President & Managing Director David Coghlan, states, “Havok’s newest and latest physics technology delivers significant technical innovations in performance and memory utilization allowing developers to leverage the incredible capabilities of platforms like the PlayStation 4 to take simulation to the next level

“Havok’s advanced physics technology and Sony’s robust hardware open up the possibilities for impressive titles like inFamous: Second Son.”

What did you make of the physics and overall visuals within inFamous: Second Son? Let us know in the comments below.

Havok has announced that its various technologies – namely Havok Physics, Havok Animation Studio and Havok AI – will be used in the upcoming MMO Iron Knight. Published by Tencent Games and developed by Aurora Studios, Iron Knight was showcased this week’s GDC.

Tencent executive producer and Chief Consultant Steve Gray stated that, “The presence of Iron Knight at GDC is an important part of a larger strategy for Tencent as it looks to court a more international audience of gamers with its quality titles.

“Integration of Havok technology was an essential piece of the internationalization plans for Project Knight. The development team designed the game from the ground up with an international audience in mind and we believe this international effort is a bold, new direction that holds great promise for fans of battlefield action everywhere.”

Brian Waddle, VP of Sales and Marketing at Havok, stated that, “We are excited to be a part of such an innovative title being developed in a growing market like China. Our dedicated team in China is working closely with the talented developers at Aurora Studios to ensure they get the most out of Havok’s robust technology capabilities in order to deliver the most vibrant and immersive gaming experience possible.”

As of now, there are no definitive details on when Iron Knight will release in the West. Stay tuned for more updates.

Though it’s been a little over a month since the Xbox One and PS4 released, there are still doubts whether memory will be sufficient to last an entire generation. Xbox One allocates 5GB of RAM for games and  we’re still a little unclear on how much the PS4 allocates. There have been rumors of 5.5 GB earlier but nothing is concrete at the moment. Regardless of how much RAM these systems have, Havok’s Head of Product Management Andrew Bowell believes it will ultimately result into developers doing more in their games.

“Developers have long dreamt about more RAM. RAM has been so scarce over the last 20 years in console hardware that I feel many prayers have been answered this time around However it will take absolutely no time for artists to use all available RAM, even 8 GB, you can be sure of that,” he said to GamingBolt.

He also explained how Havok deals with sudden developer requests, especially concerning features that might not currently be supported by the engine, and how easy or difficult it is to scale the engine in such circumstances.

“In terms of Havok technology, it has always been our goal to enable developers to do more with less. Even with the large amounts of RAM available, the developers will still find ways to use even last byte. To that end, it is always a requirement for middleware to have the smallest possible memory footprint. This is also becoming even more of a requirement as console developers look at ways to bring their title to mobile platforms.”

It’s already been obvious, especially with concerns to hurdles such as the Xbox One’s eSRAM. However, for developers to be able to utilize, say, all the available game memory of the PS4? It will be a while before something like this is possible, but take that as an assurance that the next generation of consoles isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

Game technology developer Havok, whose Havok Physics engine is known the world over due to its use in any and all games relying on physics during gameplay, has announced its involvement with several cross and next-gen titles for Ubisoft. This includes the recently released Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, and the upcoming Watch Dogs and Tom Clancy’s The Division

Sylvain Trottier, associate producer at Ubisoft stated that, “Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag had many specific challenges related to physics that Havok has been instrumental in solving – first and foremost was simulating early 18th-century ships on a roaring ocean. Making use of Havok Physics, we were able to ensure that the player’s gameplay experience was just as rich and enthralling on sea as it is on land.”

Brian Waddle, vice president of worldwide sales and marketing at Havok added that, “Ubisoft consistently delivers compelling titles that rely on immersive experiences to draw players in, and we’re honored to work with them to bring our comprehensive physics solutions to their popular franchise. Havok’s support stretches to every major console, PC and portable system, so it’s perfectly tailored to massive titles – like Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Watch Dogs and Tom Clancy’s The Division – that are being adapted to multiple platforms.”

Watch Dogs is currently slated to release in early 2014 for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U and PC, while Tom Clancy’s The Division will be out in late 2014 for PS4, Xbox One and PC.