Intel Purchases Project Offset and Offset Engine

Intel seems gung-ho about delving into the gaming side of things lately, first evidenced by their purchase of Havok last September and further proven by their induction into the PC Gaming Alliance, the PC-gaming-specific research group founded by other major companies, including NVIDIA, AMD and Microsoft. The latest proof, however, is the purchase of Project Offset and the resulting engine.

Project Offset is an impressive-looking title all-around. I first caught wind of it a few years ago with some footage on the now defunct TechTV. I remember being impressed by the fact that the graphics and gameplay were top-notch… and were all delivered from an indie developer. What Intel has plans for is unknown, but Ars Technica jumps to the conclusion that the engine will be used to help them research and develop better support for multi-core processors in gaming… something that’s not been well-executed by anyone.

Although Intel certainly have their own plans, hopefully this acquisition will help move the game along even faster, since it’s been in development for quite a while with no substantial release information available.

Larrabee may not launch until late 2009/2010, but again, purchasing Project Offset now gives Intel a real-world engine with which to evaluate Larrabee, and ties in well with the company’s purchase of Havok last year. Between the two, Intel has the makings of a very solid offering.

Source: Ars Technica