Autodesk will no longer sell game middleware
While the company's Stingray engine is unaffected, Scaleform, Navigation, HumanIK, and Beast are all being discontinued
Autodesk, well known in the industry for its Maya modelling and animation software, has decided to pull the plug on its games middleware. A post on the official website notes, "As of July 12, Scaleform, Beast, HumanIK and Navigation software, and their associated maintenance plans and maintenance renewals, will no longer be available for purchase."
Autodesk intends to give its customers access to final versions of the various middleware and will honor all maintenance contracts "until the end of term" so that developers can continue to receive support and bug fixes. Autodesk's game engine Stingray - which was launched back in 2015 - appears to be unaffected by this move, however.
The company did not give a reason for its game middleware exit on the website, but we've inquired with a representative and will update this story once we hear back.
Update: A spokesperson for Autodesk told GamesIndustry.biz, "Much of our games middleware product functionality has been integrated into the game engines themselves. As a result, Autodesk Media & Entertainment has decided to focus its efforts on other areas of game development like DCC tools, VR/AR and production management. We're continuing to support our existing customers who are still working with those products."