IRISH-BASED GAMES developer Havok has established a new research and development office in Copenhagen, to focus on its gaming physics engine. The company said the move would allow it to access talent that is difficult to find in Dublin.
The operation will be headed by industry veteran Thomas Jakobsen and will build on work already being done in the company’s Irish headquarters.
The middle-ware maker produces products that help games developers to easily improve the detail and realism of their titles. Halo and Half Life 2 are just some of many titles that use the company’s products. Havok was founded in Trinity College in 1998 and bought by chipmaker Intel in 2007.
“Havok is at a point where we have a profile where international, experienced talent wants to work for us,” said David Coghlan, the firm’s managing director.
“Thomas Jakobsen wanted to come on board for some time, so we saw it as an opportunity to hire him locally and use his reputation to expand out a new R&D hub in Copenhagen.”
Mr Jakobsen previously worked for Danish developer IO Interactive, where he built a physics engine for the company’s Hitman franchise.
Mr Coghlan said Havok is in “constant recruitment mode” in Dublin but added that it is not always possible to find the high-end people it seeks.
He said the games industry in Ireland is also at a disadvantage as experience is in short supply. His comments echo views held by Havok’s previous managing director David O’Meara, a critic of Irish third-level institutions and the standard of their graduates.
“Experience is probably a strong element here as the team in Denmark will be staffed with more experienced staff in console game development, that’s something that Ireland hasn’t had a track record of,” Mr Coghlan said.
In a separate development Havok also announced a partnership with Sony, which will see its technology being adapted for the company’s “next generation portable” console. Mr Coghlan said this will give developers working on launch titles access to their tools from the start of the process.
