The Intel-owned Havok physics engine has been acquired by Microsoft in a push into cloud gaming. Havok is used in a multitude of leading franchises, from publishers including EA, Activision, Sony, and Nintendo. Complementing the Xbox division, Havok will slot in alongside Azure cloud services, that will likely soon begin delivering an Xbox-centric cloud gaming offering – if Microsoft wants to challenge Sony in the wake of the latter’s acquisition of OnLive and Gaikai to shore up its PlayStation Now cloud gaming platform. Microsoft was clear that Havok would still be available for licensing, but noted that development and maintenance of the software will now take place within Microsoft. Havok itself was acquired by Intel in 2007 for around $100…