Middleware for games is a piece of software that is integrated into a game engine to handle some specialized aspect of it, such as

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which rel ...

graphics Graphics () are visual images or designs on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, screen, paper, or stone, to inform, illustrate, or entertain. In contemporary usage, it includes a pictorial representation of data, as in design and manufacture, ...

networking Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematics ...

Notable

Autodesk Gameware Autodesk Gameware is a discontinued middleware software suite developed by Autodesk. The suite contained tools that enable designers to create game lighting, character animation, low level path finding, high-level AI and advanced user interfaces. O ...

- from Autodesk, includes

Scaleform GFx Scaleform GFx is a discontinued game development middleware package, a vector graphics rendering engine used to display Adobe Flash-based user interfaces and HUDs for video games. In March 2011, Autodesk acquired Scaleform Corporation and Scale ...

, Kynapse, Beast and HumanIK *

Nvidia GameWorks Nvidia GameWorks is a middleware software suite developed by Nvidia. The Visual FX, PhysX and Optix SDKs provide a wide range of enhancements pre-optimized for Nvidia GPUs. GameWorks is partially open-source. The competing solution being in develo ...

- visual FX, physics, particle and fluid simulations
Simplygon
- automated 3D content optimization for a variety of assets as vegetation, buildings, scene views... *

SpeedTree SpeedTree is a group of vegetation programming and modeling software products developed and sold by Interactive Data Visualization, Inc. (IDV) that generates virtual foliage for animations, architecture and in real time for video games and dema ...

- vegetation programming and modelling software products *

xaitment xaitment is a German-based company that develops and sells artificial intelligence (AI) software to video game developers and simulation developers. The company was founded in 2004 by Dr. Andreas Gerber, and is a spin-off of the German Research C ...

- customizable and modular game AI software for navigation mesh generation, pathfinding, character behavioral modeling and more

AI: Pathfinding, collisions

AiLive AiLive Inc. (formerly iKuni) is a software company based in Mountain View, California. The company was co-founded in 2000 by software programmer and developer Wei Yen and by computer engineer Xiaoyuan Tu. The company has worked closely with Nin ...

- a suite of game AI middleware * Kythera AI - Complete AI Toolset Middleware * Mercuna - 3D navigation middleware

Full-Motion Video

* Bink Video - video file format, video compression tools and playback library from RAD Game Tools. * CRI-Sofdec - created by

CRI Middleware (formerly CSK Research Institute Corp.) is a Japanese developer providing middleware for use in the video game industry. From the early nineties, CRI was a video game developer, but shifted focus in 2001. History CRI started out as CSK Research I ...

. It is highly used in

Dreamcast The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, N ...

games.

Online Multiplayer

* DemonWare - created by

Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one ...

. *

Steamworks Steam is a Digital distribution of video games, video game digital distribution service and storefront by Valve Corporation, Valve. It was launched as a software client in September 2003 as a way for Valve to provide automatic updates for their ...

- used for Valve Corporation's

Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporizat ...

Physics & Animation

Cocos2D Cocos2d is a free software framework. It can be used to build games, apps and other cross platform GUI based interactive programs. Cocos2d contains many branches with the best known being Cocos2d-objc, Cocos2d-x, Cocos2d-html5 and Cocos2d-X ...

- 2D physics engine. *

Euphoria Euphoria ( ) is the experience (or affect) of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness. Certain natural rewards and social activities, such as aerobic exercise, laughter, listening to or making music and dan ...

- 3D human animation engine created by

NaturalMotion NaturalMotion is a British video game development company with development offices in London, Brighton and Birmingham. Founded in November 2001 as a spin-out company from Oxford University, NaturalMotion specialises in creating animation techn ...

based on Dynamic Motion Synthesis.
FaceFX
- realistic facial animation engine created by OC3 Entertainment. * Havok - 3D physics engine.

Real-Time Rendering

trueSKY
- real-time sky & weather renderer created by Simul Software.

Sound

* CRI-ADX - created by

. It is highly used in

games. * FMOD *

Miles Sound System Miles Sound System (MSS), formerly known as Audio Interface Library (AIL), is a sound software system primarily for video games and used mostly as an alternative for low-end audio chipsets. It uses little CPU time while providing adequate audio o ...

- audio authoring tools and engine developed by RAD Game Tools. * Wwise - audio engine and authoring tools from

Audiokinetic Audiokinetic Inc. is a Canadian software company based in Montreal, Quebec that develops audio software for the video game industry. Its main product is Wwise audio authoring software. On January 8, 2019, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced ...