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Valve Tanks Acquisition Rumor

Tom Ivan's picture

By Tom Ivan

September 17, 2008

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“It’s nothing more than rumor. Valve is focused on making Left 4 Dead a great product and supporting folks like Crytek and Ubisoft who are bringing great games to Steam this year”

[Update: Added Valve and Google comments]

Google will acquire independent developer Valve “any second now”, according to a new report on The Inquirer.

“Well placed sources tell us that Google is going to be buying Valve any second now,” reads the report, which goes on to say that Steam, Valve’s digital distribution platform, is the principal reason Google hopes to snap up the Bellevue, Washington-based Half-Life creator.

“Valve has the best content distribution platform out there bar none. Steam may have had rough patches here and there, but they are almost all ironed out now, and just about everyone that matters has signed up to use it… When Google picks them up, it will be a clean kill, no one else will matter.”

Earlier this year Valve announced that Steam had surpassed 15 million registered users, along with plans to develop the platform by offering non-game content such as videos and music.

Web-giant Google recently made its presence felt in the interactive entertainment space with the launch of Google Lively, a 3D virtual world.

Commenting on the report, Valve and Google reps told us that talk of an imminent acquisition was merely “rumor”.

“It’s nothing more than rumor,” Valve marketing director Doug Lombardi said. “Valve is focused on making Left 4 Dead a great product and supporting folks like Crytek and Ubisoft who are bringing great games to Steam this year.”

A Google rep said, “We do not comment on market rumor or speculation.”

Bill_Janis's picture
On October 8th Bill_Janis said:

Valve is an especially strong INDEPENDENT entity. It would be a crime to see Valve go to a Google, a Gogle, or whatever. I hope, selfishly, that Valve STAYS independent. That is where the best work is done. That is where the magic happens!

I spent many years in the music business. People forget that in the 80's and 90's it was the absolute height of creative beauty on the planet. When Wall Street got involved when the majors were gobbled up by big corporations in the later 90's, the real music business died.

After recently having the honor to play test Left 4 Dead at Valve, and see the creativity and camaraderie first hand, I pray to god that company will not be gobbled up to make game apps for a Google phone, or whatever "web 2.0" trend comes along.

Please Gabe, be "George Lucas." Blow off the slave making money.

(after Star Wars Episodes 1, 2, and 3, there is a problem comparing Gabe and Valve to George, but I hope you understand the sentiment)

Kim_Naroz's picture
On September 17th Kim_Naroz said:

If anyone should buy Valve, it is Microsoft...

I realize that Microsoft may not want to buy companies, because they like the idea of entering into exclusive deals with outside companies more in certain occassions.

But Microsoft needs to realize that allowing a company like Google to buy someone like Valve may be the same as losing an exclusive game.

toadwarrior's picture
On September 17th toadwarrior said:

If they do this can they please get these people to take Id's stance and make a Linux version of the game. It seems highly cheeky to make a linux server and expect Linux users to serve people but not get involved in the game.