Inquirer: Google to buy Valve, Valve denies [update]

by Justin McElroy on Sep 17th 2008 8:15AM

There's nothing in the way of official confirmation at the moment, but tech website The Inquirer reports that "well-placed sources" are telling it that Google will be purchasing Valve "any second now." As the site points out, Google is likely less motivated by Valve's game development than its nigh-ubiquitous content distribution platform, Steam.

We, again, have no idea if this is on the money, but there have been a couple of indicators that lend a sort of credence. You may remember early last month when Valve said it was happy to talk about acquisitions, and just a little over a week ago Forbes' Chris Morris posited that Google could be going into game publishing.

We'll keep you posted.

Update: Valve tells MTV that the story is a "complete fabrication."

[Thanks, Stephen]

Source

Tags: breakingnews, google, PC, steam, valve

Reader Comments (83)

This is an odd one. the reasoning isn't too bad either

An odd thought because I don't know how this can possibly change things (other than perhaps replacement ads or dynamic ads within games)

Google also scares me.

I certainly HOPE it doesn't change a thing. I love Valve... LOVE THEM TO DEATH.

They're one of the only PC game making companies who bless their customers who buy their games with many updates and modding capabilities! That is- in return for you being a part of their system STEAM in which you cannot play games without an internet connection.

But yeah, I'm sure Google just wants to buy 'em for Steam... as its become so huge. Who knows, could help them with faster download speeds maybe yes?!

I LOVE Valve to death too... I also LOVE Google.

When two things I love come together it usually produces fantastic results. Noodles and Mushrooms, Nomeansno and Jello Biafra, SNK and Capcom, DualShocks and PlayStation 3's... I like the idea of Valve and Google, as long as they don't fondle with each other's business.

I don't think Steam needs faster downloads. It pretty much used the full capacity of every internet service I've ever had.

NOOO! Dood, Google scares me too. They used to be a pretty up-beat company, but lately, they're pulling an MS and just buying out all their competition. Have you looked at their WIKI page lately? The list of acquisitions is endless!!

I think Valve should buy Google instead. AMIRITE??

Don't mess with my cake recipes you bastards! =(

I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not, I love Google, but on the other hand, I'm kinda scared what they'd do to Steam.

I mean, I see enough bloody advertisements on Steam as it is.

Man, I just hope this doesn't affect anything to do with negotiations that Valve and MS were doing regarding certain game distributions on Live.

But given that MS and Google are sworn enemies right now (due to the recent lawsuite that MS got owned in...) I have a feeling its gonna b bad news.

On another note, I still can't believe Yahoo! didn't sell to MS. But if Valve does sell to Google, I'd be disappointed to some degree... I guess.

Rather google than M$ or EA imho.

would prefer it if they stayed 'indie' tho'

What the fuck are you talking about? Steam doesn't contain any advertisements. Don't confuse a STOREFRONT with a bulletin board, dude. You're giving a great online distribution service a bad name to every person that eyes over your comment.

Steam update! Steam update! Look at our five pages of updates that constantly pop up every single time you open up Steam or everytime you play a game!

See all these new great deals or things that are on Steam!

You, er... don't use Steam much, do ya?

"You, er... don't use Steam much, do ya?"

Either that, or he disabled Steam News like the rest of the world.

great so when google attempts to take over the world with mind controlling robots and form a global dictatorship morgan freeman won't be there to save us...nor will our oaks from left for dead be as to escape googles zombie apocalypse...sigh

I believe you mean GORDON FREEMAN. Morgan Freeman's an actor.

Morgan Freeman?

(font size=over 9000) LOL

Gorgon Feeman.

Shoot this motherfucker!!!!
[/morgan freeman]

Morgan Freeman: This suit will give you more mobility, but you'll be more susceptible to knives and gunfire.

Gordan Freeman: ...

Morgan Freeman: Now that's more like it, Mr. Freeman.

Lol, 'Google Freeman' :) They will have to change the name once they pick him up

Aflong Aflongkong

Both Morgan and Gordon are awesome. However, there is one glaring difference between the two.

Morgan won't shut up and Gordon won't speak.

@ Solid Chief

+1 for you, good sir. That was definitely a hilarious line in that movie. That, and when he finally gets iced, the expression on his face.

LMFAO!!! Sorry about that...I feel stupid :/. lotta typos in there thanks to the amazing (sarcasm) touch keyboard on the iTouch....LOL Morgan freeman wtf was I smoking...

Well, that's it. PC Gaming will be dead. Steam will be consumed by a company seeking to take over the world, and every other PC game publisher will be putting in invasive DRM.

Oi, stop hogging all the cynicism!

Just think of what GLadOS could do for Google.
Google's network could very well outlast the company!

The only problem is that GLaDOS would be in perpetual beta.

^^ Ha! made my day, early in the morning... thanks! :)

@Donald:

So GlaDOS = Gmail?

Oh, shit.

@dark_inchworm: Yeah, pretty much. You thought Valve Time was bad before...

Uh, if I'm not mistaken, GLaDOS belongs to a little company called Aperture Science, not Valve Software.

Uh, if I'm not mistaken, you're being anal.

Shut the fuck up.

Skynet is 1 step closer to self awareness...

But I love my Google Maps!

another move toward a google Os

They've got a browser, got desktop search, got photo and video bases covered. Digital distribution system under steam would allow games and more to be purchased, it would also be used as a software update platform.

Anything I'm missing?

android open OS for phones

NOOOO!!!!

Google already killed youtube, I can't let my precious valve and steam go as well!!!!

*cries in corner*

YouTube is still there...?

Yeah... But it's owned by a major corporation now maaaaan!

as if it wasn't a major corporation before... it's alright, I bet nothing's going to change

And you know this, MAAAAAAAN!

The only thing Google did was help bring YouTube out of the wild west with a few IP-infringement deals (especially the one with Viacom that insures all the episodes of Doug or Rocko's Modern Life will never get uploaded there)

But nothing significant

Next thing I knew I was running down the street in my damn drawers...

Goodness.

Does this mean Valve will be forced to develop for PS3 now? Well Valve games does come out for PS3 but those ports aren't done inhouse.

My head just exploded.

Isn't this better than Microsoft or Sony buying them out and making them console developers like Bungie? I think it would also speed development times up over there, and we might finish Half Life 2 Episodes in the next decade. O, and get the Team Fortress 2 updates for 360. Google would definately still let them do their thing, YouTube hasn't changed into Google Video, and they've added so much stuff since being sold.

I really like the idea.

The time they take to perfect their games is why Valve is so good. Trust me, the wait is always worth it. Speeding up their dev process would be the worst possible change.

I didn't know that MS forced their game divisions to be console only. I guess I'm just mistaken by seeing the PC games they release. Silly me.

Ok I'm sorry, but does Valve do big console releases? No. Did Bungie do consoles before Microsoft? No. Valve would have to do more work to make console ports of all its games under Microsoft or Sony, which would lead to less development time for gameplay as well. If someone has to buy out Valve (And Steam is so attractive its bound to happen) It'd be better to be a company like Google which acts like a distant parent rather than a demanding one.

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Inquirer: Google to buy Valve, Valve denies [update]

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