Havok selected to power Tencent Games’ forthcoming blockbuster Iron Knight

8 Apr 2014

Irish games technology company Havok’s physics, animation and artificial intelligence software will be used to power Tencent Games’ upcoming title Iron Knight.

Iron Knight is a highly anticipated online melee combat game that Aurora Studios developed and then showcased at the recent Game Developer Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, California.

Tencent chose Havok Physics, Havok AI and Havok Animation Studio 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.

“The presence of Iron Knight at GDC was an important part of a larger strategy for Tencent as it looks to court a more global audience of gamers with its quality titles,” said Steve Gray, Tencent executive producer.

“Integration of Havok technology was an essential piece of the internationalisation plans for Iron Knight.”

An elite production for elite players

Iron Knight

The Iron Knight team included elite contributors from Ireland, China, the US, France, and Germany.

“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.”

Dublin-headquartered Havok’s technology has been used in more than 500 gaming titles, including franchises like Halo, the Elder Scrolls, Assassin’s Creed, Call of Duty, Killzone, Uncharted Dead Rising and Skylanders.

“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,” said Havok CEO David Coghlan.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com