Gabe Newell Shuts Down Rumors on Microsoft Purchasing Valve
A few days ago, some rumors popped up that Microsoft, in dire straits for more exclusive titles, had plans to purchase other major developers such as Electronic Arts, The PUBG Corporation and, perhaps most surprisingly, the big man of the PC ecosystem, Valve themselves. But, in an uncharacteristic moment of public communication, Gabe Newell, co-founder and current president of Valve, has come out to say that there are no plans for a purchase any time soon.
A user on popular online forum Resetera uploaded a screenshot of an email that they had sent to Valve questioning the validity of the rumor.
"Is Valve being bought by Microsoft?" they asked in their email to which Newell responded, "Not that I'm aware of."
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Now, yes, it is possible that Newell is not allowed to discuss any deals that are happening behind closed doors, but at the same time, it still seems unlikely that Valve would ever sell out to a company such as Microsoft when they are doing very well financially as an independent company.
They own one of the biggest digital storefronts for games in the PC market and they take 30 percent of all sales made on Steam. While that value might seem small, take note that Steam has a massive library that can more than make up for the seemingly uneven split. There is also the fact that they own "DOTA 2," one of the biggest esports games in the moment and that generates a lot of money through cosmetic items and seasonal events like the Battle Pass.
The rumors regarding Microsoft purchasing Valve started to surface when Polygon published an article that, according to an inside source, Microsoft was tossing around the idea of purchasing certain developers to try and catch up with its competition as the Xbox One has severely fallen behind the PlayStation 4 and other platforms. But it seems Valve wants no part of that negotiation.
So, for the time being, anyone worried about Valve being purchased can take a breather as it seems Newell and his staff are not going to sell any time soon.
