The rumour mill is spinning rather quickly lately, with rumours about Microsoft apparently looking at buying Valve, EA and others.
Polygon cites a "reliable source" for this information:
Some of the names being thrown around as possible acquisitions by Microsoft are, frankly, astounding, even unthinkable. But the fact that they are doing the rounds is instructive. The most recent one we heard (from a reliable source close to Microsoft) was, in fact, Electronic Arts. We also heard a whisper about Valve and about Korean outfit PUBG Corp., which Microsoft last year signed to a timed exclusive for its hit survival shooter, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.
Considering Valve has a majority grip on the PC gaming market, constant growth and quite likely more money than they know what to do with, it would obviously be a target for Microsoft. However, to me, those are also all reasons why it just wouldn't happen. On top of that, Valve is privately owned and I doubt Gabe Newell will suddenly give it all over to Microsoft.
Let's not forget how Valve has also been paying people to improve Linux gaming. Valve has people working on SDL, Mesa, SteamOS (multiple updates this year already), Virtual Reality and plenty more towards making Linux a more attractive gaming platform. There's also this recent interview with Timothee Besset from our friends at BoilingSteam which gives a little glimpse into the work Valve is doing behind the scenes for Linux gaming too. It also seems from that, the Linux port of Street Fighter V is not actually dead. It seems they have a habit of announcing things too early!
Obviously if Microsoft somehow convinced Gabe and co to sell up, Linux gaming would change significantly, but I'm telling you now—it just won't happen.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Quoting: STiATPah, Valve sold? Not if Gabe has a saying in it. It's his baby.Also no need to steam spits out money every ten seconds for valve they are not going to give that up without a fight. They dont make games anymore because well they dont need to anymore. I appreciate the assistance of vr and drivers etc on linux but am still not going to white knight them. Valve is a corporation and no matter what the well paid pr people say corporations do not not give one shit about any of their install base.
Quoting: STiATValve is a corporationI'm not sure it actually is. At any rate not in the typical sense of a thing owned by shareholders, where the shares are sold on the open market. My understanding is that Valve is owned by Gabe and a few other Valve employees, with Gabe holding the biggest single chunk and maybe a majority. Something like that. This means that the management and ownership are basically the same, and therefore that the management does not in effect have a fiduciary duty to the shareholders to maximize profits, unless we're expecting Gabe to sue himself.
This doesn't mean Mr. Newell isn't motivated by money. But it does mean that Valve is run by personal motivations, not by the structural imperatives of the corporate form. It probably wouldn't be wise to trust Valve, in the same sense that it's not wise to trust an individual you don't know personally, and especially a rich one. But it's different from a corporation, where you shouldn't trust it in the sense that you know for certain it would betray you to make 2% interest on a penny.
Quoting: Whitewolfe80Quoting: STiATValve is a corporationI'm not sure it actually is. At any rate not in the typical sense of a thing owned by shareholders, where the shares are sold on the open market. My understanding is that Valve is owned by Gabe and a few other Valve employees, with Gabe holding the biggest single chunk and maybe a majority. Something like that. This means that the management and ownership are basically the same, and therefore that the management does not in effect have a fiduciary duty to the shareholders to maximize profits, unless we're expecting Gabe to sue himself.
This doesn't mean Mr. Newell isn't motivated by money. But it does mean that Valve is run by personal motivations, not by the structural imperatives of the corporate form. It probably wouldn't be wise to trust Valve, in the same sense that it's not wise to trust an individual you don't know personally, and especially a rich one. But it's different from a corporation, where you shouldn't trust it in the sense that you know for certain it would betray you to make 2% interest on a penny.
True enough I still do not trust Valve any further than i could throw Gabe Newell. I am happy when they help bring something to Linux, but i mistrust the motivation valve has. I cannot shake this feeling that eventually they will look at the accounting spreadsheet and start deciding to cut losses.At this point i doubt they would pull the client from Linux but I could easily see them turning off the development tap. On a pety note valve is actually listed as Valve Corporation on the wiki and on the steam store under the help/contact tab.
August 24, 1996 in Kirkland, Washington, U.S. Valve Corporation is an American video game developer and digital distribution company headquartered in Bellevue, Washington
Last edited by Whitewolfe80 on 4 February 2018 at 11:50 am UTC
Quoting: Whitewolfe80On a pety note valve is actually listed as Valve Corporation on the wiki and on the steam store under the help/contact tab.
According to my dictionary, there's different meanings to "corporation". In the US, it seems connected to allotting shares (which Valve does not), while it is also used in a broader sense like company (which Valve obiously is)...
GustyGhost Feb 5, 2018
https://hothardware.com/news/gabe-newell-responds-to-outrageous-rumors-that-microsoft-is-buying-valve
stretch611 Feb 5, 2018
Quoting: GustyGhostJust a bit of an update to this topic for anyone who might still be lurking:
https://hothardware.com/news/gabe-newell-responds-to-outrageous-rumors-that-microsoft-is-buying-valve
Not surprising that Gabe is a fellow greybeard. (assuming that is him in the uncredited photo.)
BlackBloodRum Feb 5, 2018
Also, I wonder who would take his place when he retires?
Kuduzkehpan Feb 5, 2018
Last edited by Kuduzkehpan on 5 February 2018 at 9:04 pm UTC
slaapliedje Feb 6, 2018
Quoting: KuduzkehpanWhat if Valve buys microsoft first, then open sources it and removes found unsafe codes :D yea welcome to GNU/windows. maybe then we replace kernel and upstart bla bla bla. dx12 with Vulkan. Yea LoL for the night.
Ha, Then it is discovered that it has been BSD with a shell on it since Windows 8, because they copied Apple?
Just as likely...
Quoting: slaapliedjeQuoting: KuduzkehpanWhat if Valve buys microsoft first, then open sources it and removes found unsafe codes :D yea welcome to GNU/windows. maybe then we replace kernel and upstart bla bla bla. dx12 with Vulkan. Yea LoL for the night.
Ha, Then it is discovered that it has been BSD with a shell on it since Windows 8, because they copied Apple?
Just as likely...
Well that would be history repeating itself given that Apple gave ms the GUI and the mouse interface while MS was being courted by apple way back in the late 70's
Patreon
PayPal
See more from me