Big game dev tools news today: Microsoft has acquired Havok, the Irish company best known for its physics engine technology, from long-time owner Intel for an undisclosed sum.

This seems notable for game makers because it brings the provider of popular game development middleware under the auspices of a first-party publisher and platform holder.

In a joint announcement published to both company blogs, the new owners state that "we will continue to work with developers to create great games experiences, and continue to license Havok’s development tools to third party partners" alongside Microsoft's extant game dev tool suite, including Visual Studio and DirectX 12.

When reached for comment, a Microsoft representative told Gamasutra that "There will be no change to how Havok licenses its tech to game devs. It’ll be business as usual."