PANDEMIC STUDIOS APPLY HAVOK PHYSICS TO THEIR HIGHLY ANTICIPATED TITLE - DESTROY ALL HUMANS
Havok Physics used to cause realistic inter-galactic destruction
San Francisco, CA, June 27, 2005 – Havok, the game industry’s leading supplier of cross-platform middleware solutions, confirmed today that Havok Physics played a key role in the development of THQ’s (NASDAQ: THQI) Destroy All Humans! ™; the much anticipated 3rd-person action-adventure title that delivers an open-ended world where the player can rain down destruction from his UFO or walk the earth as an alien subverting and terrorizing all of humanity.
The game, released on June 21st, has already captivated industry reviewers. Built around the hilarious 1950s premise of aliens --small-bodied, big-headed, evil-eyed, with small but powerful laser guns that naturally pilot flying saucers, Destroy All Humans! has an enormous amount of ideas, humor and classic gameplay elements, including the ability to project a human form while exploring destructible environments.
Destroy All Humans! features an impressive implementation of the Havok physics engine, including destruction effects worthy of alien weapons, human and vehicle behaviors whilst under the influence of psychokinesis and physically simulated cow udders. "Havok made our job so much easier; said Adam Iarossi, Lead Programmer, Pandemic Studios Australia. Everything from world physics to rag-doll was a breeze."
Weapon-wise, players can arm themselves with a glut of alien weaponry on land or in the air, including the Ion Detonator, the Zap-O-Matic, the Sonic Boom, or even the Quantum Deconstructor --used to eradicate those silly, pathetic humans. "Havok brings life to our world!” said Gordon Moyes, Development Director, Pandemic Studios Australia. Check out the mayhem Havok injects into the Quantum Deconstructor's blast zone, or the way we used Havok rag-dolls to sell the humor of Crypto's psychokinesis ability."
“We are very proud of the game that we have produced and it would not have been the same without the Havok Engine and support that we received.” added Bradford Clancy, Physics Programmer, Pandemic Studios Australia. “From rag-dolled cows to cars with doors that open-and-close to a physically functional Ferris Wheel. I feel we’ve pushed the Havok Engine to its limits on the PlayStation 2 to ensure thoroughly entertaining physics game play”.
“We are very proud to be in partnership with Pandemic Studios and to be a part of such a highly rated game.” said David O’Meara, Chief Executive Officer of Havok. “Pandemic continues to push the envelope with Havok technology, creating games that awe and inspire the public. We look forward to continuing our partnership with both Pandemic and THQ, addressing their specific needs so that they continue to deliver great game-play.”
Havok recently released Havok Complete, which extends the power and flexibility of Havok Physics, by including a fast and flexible run-time character animation system and tool chain that pushes the envelope for dynamically-responsive character animation in next generation games.
About Havok
Founded in 1998, Havok is the gaming industry’s leading physics provider and one of the industry’s best kept technical secrets. Havok’s technology is used by over 70 of the world’s leading game developers to enhance realism and improve game play.
Using Havok, game developers can build virtual worlds which allow players to enter a dynamic, living and breathing universe where characters interact with each other in a completely natural and unscripted way. The Havok team has one focus – to build game specific solutions that work. That focus has made Havok the leading independent provider of middleware physics to the games industry.
About Pandemic
Pandemic Studios consistently delivers outstanding entertainment for Playstation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and the PC. Over the last seven years, industry veterans Josh Resnick and Andrew Goldman have steadily built the company into one of the largest and most successful independent developers in the world, with studios in Los Angeles, California and in Brisbane, Australia.
An established reputation for releasing the highest quality entertainment and cutting edge original content has allowed Pandemic to work with major licenses, recruit the world's best development talent, and cultivate strong relationships with the industry's leading publishers, including THQ, LucasArts, Electronic Arts, and Activision.
About THQ
THQ Inc. (Nasdaq: THQI) is a leading worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. The company develops its products for all popular game systems, personal computers and wireless devices. Headquartered in Los Angeles County, California, THQ sells product through its global network of offices located in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Korea and Australia. More information about THQ and its products may be found at www.thq.com and www.thqwireless.com. THQ, THQ Wireless, Destroy All Humans! and their respective logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc.
