Wreaking Havok: An Irish Success Story

You’ve seen Havok’s work in Halo 5, Assassin’s Creed, Call of Duty and so much more. With over  500 games having Havok middleware at their core, Havok has become the leading choice for AAA studios across the globe., and this Emmy award winning group of gamers is right here in Ireland!

Havok’s physics simulation software has been used in more than 600 games, including Medal of Honor, Half Life 2, and Call of Duty. A third of all computer games in a typical outlet will carry the Havok logo.

Havok specializes in “ragdoll” physics,  which is used in animation to allow for greater realism on screen, particularly in how characters are depicted. This kind of code is used to execute actual real-time physics calculations, which lends spectacular realism in multiple areas, from arrows bouncing off walls, to how characters fall based on where they get hit by something.

Like so many Irish entrepreneurs, Steve Collins got his start in the business world at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE).  In 1986, he won the prize for top computer project; in 1987, he was highly commended in his category. Native to Dundalk and graduate of Trinity College, Collins credits the BTYSTE as being the start of his journey. His global headquarters is in Dublin.

Collins believes that participating in the BTYSTE is an indication of both entrepreneurial spirit and independence, qualities that he finds invaluable in the gaming industry.  He finds that these are qualities common to Irish people, along with a “really helpful” world view, and have led to the growth of the games industry in Ireland, which has overtaken the UK sector.

Since revenues from games can be equivalent to that from blockbuster movies, the sky really is the limit in this field.

Sources

• https://www.havok.com/
• https://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/students-surprised-to-find-top-computer-games-are-made-on-their-doorstep-1.3753929