Autodesk purchases Kynogon

Autodesk has announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Kynogon, creator of the Kynapse artificial intelligence middleware.

Terms of the transaction were not immediately disclosed, but the company expects the purchase to be completed within the next three months.

Autodesk will add Kynapse to its portfolio of tools, such as 3ds Max and Maya, which are already used in game development.

Kynapse has been used to develop more than 65 titles, including Alone in the Dark 5, Crackdown, Fable 2 and The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar.

"The future of videogames is about sophisticated game play, with more believable characters and environments," said Marc Petit, senior vice president, Autodesk Media & Entertainment.

"Our goal is to simplify videogame development by providing cutting-edge tools to create, animate and integrate 3D assets into game engines. The acquisition of Kynogon is a key component in reaching this goal."

"Videogame technology is the beachhead for real-time simulation applications and advanced computing," he added. "In addition to game development, Kynogon's products are being used for defense and security simulations, such as mission planning and military operations on urban terrain."