Grand Theft Auto IV, Brought to You by Oxford?

One of the things universities do is various forms of research. What many folks don't realize is how much of that gets turned into commercial products. For that reason you may be a bit surprised to find out that Oxford University will be getting a cut of the GTA IV fortune, oh and two other little games soon to come out: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and the new Indiana Jones game.

You see, two clever Oxford graduates took research in natural human and animal movement from the zoology department and used it in the Euphoria game engine. Euphoria doesn't rely on pre-scripted character animation and creates very realistic movement. The computer can calculate how characters should be interacting with any given environment.

In order to get their engine to market Torsten Reil and Colm Massey teamed up with the University’s technology transfer company to help start their business Natural Motion, and as a result the university retains a share of their work. While arrangements can vary wildly, I know that it is not uncommon for a university to keep half or more of the profit from companies spun off of a college's research or that used the school's resources to get started.

Next time you're wondering what universities do with all your tuition money just remember, they help build games like Grand Theft Auto IV.

[Oxford Student Newspaper]