Intel is acquiring the company behind Killer gaming networking cards

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Intel has acquired Rivet Networks, the maker of Killer-branded NICs (network interface cards responsible for managing your connection) found in some laptops from popular brands like Dell, Alienware, HP, and other manufacturers. Killer’s own networking products were noteworthy for providing gaming-centric features like minimizing latency to keep you from missing a beat in-game, and prioritizing network traffic for games and other applications that need it the most.

Rivet Networks has been a competitor to Intel in the NIC space for over a decade. With this acquisition, Intel can capitalize on the gaming market.

This acquisition isn’t as out of left field as it might seem. A few years back, Intel and Rivet Networks collaborated to develop…