Middleware a modern necessity, says Grin

As games continue to grow in complexity and costs, middleware has become an essential solution for a rising number of publishers and developers.

That was the verdict of the two co-founders of Swedish development outfit Grin.

Speaking to Develop in an interview published today, Grin’s Creative Director Ulf Andersson said that “now that production’s become more complex, more and more publishers and developers are realising that middleware is essential.”

Grin’s upcoming title Bionic Commando is built on the firm’s own game engine, Diesel, though the group has turned to third-party solutions in the past and has recently licensed Nvidia PhysX for Terminator Salvation.

Ulf was of the belief that middleware was continuing to rise in prominence, noticing that many third-party solutions are currently in a virtuous circle. “More and more companies are using [third-party tools],” he said, “which means the providers make more money out of them. Which means that more middleware companies have enough money to invest in refining their product…”

Ulf’s brother and company CEO Bo added that the versatility of many middleware solutions were one of the key reasons for their popularity.

“Gamers play all kinds of games, right? The idea that a gamer only plays one type of game and that they don’t touch any others is absurd,” he said.

“So, we see middleware provide a great solution for the industry in that they are tools that can cross over genres.”

The second part of Develop’s interview with Grin’s Andersson brothers is available now.