Intel buys up Offset Software, Project Offset still 'going strong'

by Jason Dobson { Feb 25th 2008 at 10:00AM }

Sam McGrath, technical guru and one of three founders Offset Software, has announced that the company has been purchased by technology giant Intel. The notice came in the form a short post on the Project Offset website, with McGrath adding that the now mythical project is still "going strong" and that the team is "excited about things to come."

Honestly there are two ways to take this, either as PR rhetoric, or a sign that the tech demo that wowed us way back in 2005 could finally be getting its game legs. We'd like to believe the latter, but most of us here stopped believing in miracles a long time ago. But it begs the question as to what Intel has up its sleeves -- why would it pick up such a small developer if Offset Software's game engine technology didn't somehow fit into Intel's master plan? Whether it's interested in pushing Project Offset ahead or is just wanting to field the company's impressive middleware technology, it will be very interesting to see what comes out of this latest game industry acquisition in the months to come.

Tags: acquisition, intel, middleware, offset-software, offsetsoftware, project-offset, projectoffset

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Sir.sinho @ Feb 25th 2008 10:46AM

So this means that Project Offset will be one tech demo.
Great.

quickshade @ Feb 25th 2008 11:00AM

Didn't MS buy rights to this game?

Shawn @ Feb 25th 2008 11:11AM

This is the next Crysis from what I'm hearing,and most likely PC exclusive for now. Good reasons to build a rig if this thing turns out like it was going to.

Who else thinks this is going to ship with Intel's new *rumored* discrete GPU's? I think that's what's going on.

Cyro @ Feb 25th 2008 11:33AM

This is being developed for the Xbox 360 also. Read their website. This was announced a while back.

Shawn @ Feb 25th 2008 12:31PM

They took down the page that says what platform it's for. Check the website.

I don't think it's going to 360 anymore. Why would Intel buy them, and then build a game that won't push hardware? Intel is already making money, this is most likely for their new GPU's. Maybe a 360 version will come later, but I'm pretty sure this game will be a hardware seller more than anything.

SharpBlade @ Feb 25th 2008 5:17PM

I've been following this game for a long time now and have been an active member in the forums. The developers themselves have confirmed that the game is for PC and Xbox 360.

Unless something changes now that Intel has acquired them(please god no!) it will be coming to both.

I think Intel is more interested in their tech than the game. I don't think Intel has any experience in game publishing so who knows if they will do it or another publisher will put it out.

Shawn @ Feb 25th 2008 5:56PM

I know it was "originally" slated for PC and 360, but that's probably going to change.

Sharpblade, let me ask you, why would a vastly successful company like Intel buy a Gaming Developer? They aren't aquiring them to make money directly, Project Offset is unproven in the market. No way, this is an investment to sell their hardware, but which hardware is the question.

The acquisition of Project Offset is obviously an investment in it's current state. What we do know is that Intel is in the business to sell PC hardware, and I'm sure if this is any kind of investment, it's going to be used to sell something, either their new line of chips or possibly a new GPU. This has "Tech Demo" written all over it. Tech demos aren't made for consoles, maybe later, but not at first.

For PC Enthusiasts, this is excellent news if true.

Organic_Shadow @ Feb 25th 2008 11:48AM

Great, just like HL2, the game will ship and somehow get slightly worse performance on an equally capable AMD chip over intel. Just like HL2 with ati/nvidia.

Hope the game's code get's a thorough cavity search when it comes out.

Jeff @ Feb 25th 2008 1:09PM

This game has always looked extremely impressive. Odds are it will take advantage of all the cool new havok effects, which will actually work best on Intel CPUs.

Let's be honest-- AMD doesn't offer high-end CPUs. They offer the best value CPUs... if you're below $200, you go with AMD. For expensive CPUS, you go with Intel. The phenoms are no competition for the higher-end Core2s. And that's what they try and sell with huge, wowing, performance-killing physics effects.

This isn't a bad thing, though. Most PC gamers have processors that hardly ever have to do anything; every game I've played this year has been bottlenecked by my 8800 videocard, despite my aging, $100 CPU. Most PC gamers will see value from a game meant to showcase the power of a strong CPU-- very few of us, like me, have held out with a piece of crap.

Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Feb 25th 2008 3:45PM

Unfortunately, what you say about AMD is true, but it wasn't always so, and it won't continue to be so forever. Just like how ATI was the top dog until NVidia kicked it into high gear. AMD will respond to intel eventually, or be destroyed/acquired by Nvidia.

I've got mixed feelings about this, but ars technica have posted an article that's put my mind at a bit of ease http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080225-why-intel-bought-project-offset-and-the-offset-engine.html

Intel already owns the Havok Engine, so they're not adverse to multiplatform development. The 360 version should be safe.