

Rumor: Google to buy Valve (videogame developer/publisher) - chaostheory
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/09/17/google-valve

======
calvin
"Complete Fabrication."

    
    
      I contacted Valve pr man Doug Lombardi who replied to my request for comment on this news with just two words: "complete fabrication."
    

[http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/09/17/valve-on-rumors-
of...](http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/09/17/valve-on-rumors-of-google-
buy-out/)

~~~
krschultz
It wouldn't be the first article from this source that was made up out of thin
air. It was my first time being on the opposite side of a fabrication
recently, and everyone at our company kind of chuckled and said "how did they
come up with this stuff?".

------
furiouslol
I would think that most of the bloggers got it all wrong.

If Google have bought Valve, it would not be for the Android app store.

The most obvious reason why Google would buy Valve is that Microsoft is moving
aggressively into in-game advertising and by buying Valve, Google just got
themselves a massive platform to distribute their future in-game advertising
solutions.

~~~
azharcs
I hope Valve will be "Still Alive" after it gets bought by Google.

~~~
umjames
Yeah, I can't imagine playing a sequel to Portal in a browser.

If it did happen, would Valve members be compensated with stock and cake?

~~~
azharcs
Don't you know Cake is a lie. ;)

------
thorax
I'm actually not sure we should be convinced this will happen since it's just
coming from a single rumor from a single news source-- but we'll see how it
goes.

I'm a big fan of Valve (I integrated/wrote some popular scripting engines for
their Source engine), but I'm not so certain this is a fantastic match. They
probably don't need Google and Google doesn't need them-- but while it's not a
great idea, it's probably not a bad one.

One thing to note is that not only does this get Google a content distribution
network, but Steam also has a community, IM, etc. I don't know any real
numbers for who uses those pieces, but it's likely to have grown to become one
of the largest gaming social networks. Those have shown to be worth a good bit
to the right company (for example, Xfire sold to Viacom for $100 million).

Top that off with the advertisement network and technology Valve integrated
already into some games.

So compared to most game companies, I think Valve has some really great
business decisions in their portfolio that should make them attractive to
pretty much everyone. They took the money from the Half-Life series and
created a great game platform, solid titles, an innovative and well-
established software distribution network, some in-game advertisement
technologies, along with an up-and-coming social network with no sign of
slowing-down.

If you're looking to invest in an entertainment company that's built some
long-term value, you can do much worse than Valve.

~~~
yters
Maybe the combination of gaming and info harvesting, like in Google's image
labeling game, makes such a merge plausible. Given how much online gaming
happens, I think there's a lot of potential there.

------
Angostura
Excellent! Live clickable ads on the Wall in Half Life! Probably for ammo
shops and medical retailers, I suspect.

~~~
pmjordan
Context sensitive to your text and voice chats, no doubt.

EDIT: just saw this. perfect. <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=307061>

FWIW I'm calling bullshit on this story.

------
henning
Valve's Steam system is built around DRM. You can't even play a singleplayer
Steam game without a connection to the Internet with Steam phoning home. And
it's Windows-only.

What does this have to do with organizing the world's information, what does
it have to do with "don't be evil", and what does a computer science outfit
know about making stuff that's fun? I don't get it.

~~~
josefresco
All I know is I'm still fully addicted to Counter-Strike a full 8 years after
I first played it so Steam is alright with me. I don't even remember paying
the original fee (maybe $50 years ago), and I don't need to mess with discs or
reinstalls. Just download Steam, login to my account and BAM! all my games are
downloaded and ready for playing, no patching no mess. Genius.

Now if Valve wanted $50/year to maintain my access to CS:S (something I can
see Google doing), I'd find a new game.

~~~
mseebach
In TFA, there is much focus on the quality of Steam as a content distribution
platform, and it's relevancy to Googles own efforts in that venue.

It sounds more like Google want to use Steam technology in other products, and
don't have any particular interest in Valves current business.

<dream class="pipe">Maybe they'll even opensource CS, since cash flow from
that is probably pretty insignificant by now, and there's a lot of good-will
to obtain.</dream>

~~~
josefresco
Open-sourcing CS would be awesome. Bring the game full circle back to the days
when it was just a fee mod made by Gooseman and Cliffe. What ever happened to
those guys?

------
bendemott
It really all does fit together now ...

The Explanation: Goobuntu: the Google desktop operating system. --
[http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/01/31/google_goes_desktop_...](http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/01/31/google_goes_desktop_linux/)
Glacbook: The first Google laptop (thats a joke)

(what do you need for an os) Web Browser - Check! (Chrome) Value Proposition -
Check! (Android) 3d Rendering - Check! (OpenGL ES) Windows application support
- Check! ([http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080219-google-
intoxic...](http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080219-google-intoxicates-
linux-users-with-wine-improvements.html)) Gaming Engine (valve) Application
Suite (Google Pack)

------
bvttf
MTV's 'multiplayer' blog says no. Sorry no link but no copy paste on iPhone.

------
JesseAldridge
_"Google Content Distribution (Beta) however should make just about every
other competitor lose several years of sleep, most of their remaining hair,
and large gobs of stock price."_

That's for damn sure.

------
azharcs
Valve is a great company because of the amazing games it has in its kitty.
Games for PC's are not doing great and i am pretty much sure, in couple of
years developers will stop making games for PC.

Steam is good content delivery system but will it be able to compete with XBOX
Live, i really don't think so. Future for gaming is consoles, most of the in-
game advertising will be done by the platform's like Microsoft, Sony and
Nintendo.

~~~
bendemott
Consoles are ALWAYS going to have a market, and possibly a growing market.

Games are getting harder and more expensive to make, but projects like
Irrlicht and Ogre 3d are becoming more complex. As the years go on the
paradigm will change from a content centric design in PC games, to a
complexity and community centric design philosophy. I can see a time when the
community builds the environment within the bounds of the rules of the game
engine - and I'm not talking about second life.

And where do you suggest all the millions of Modders will go?

Consoles are becoming computers, and I can guarantee the operating systems
will look more and more like a simplified version of windows, or OSX as the
years go on.... OpenGL, DirectX will continue to be developed. The simple fact
alone that Console games must be developed on a PC is going to keep the PC
kicking - it has to run emulated versions of the software that the console
(lesser hardware) runs - PC Gaming isn't dead at all ... All you need to
realize that is an internet connection and a POGO account. I realize this
isn't the market segment you are talking about but the largest private website
in the world is an online PC games site
(<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniclip>) As long as there is a pc - AND THERE
always will be a device that allows for open development, and deployment of
software - there will be games (irregardless of how complex) for that
platform.

Bottom Line: as long as people have computers they, and their kids are going
to want to put games on them.

~~~
ryan-allen
"I can see a time when the community builds the environment within the bounds
of the rules of the game engine - and I'm not talking about second life."

Hey! Like Spore! I think it's a damn great idea :)

------
nazgulnarsil
Hopefully it's because google is working on real portals.

------
mlLK
oh lawl; [http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/17/google-to-acquire-
valve...](http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/17/google-to-acquire-
valve/#comment-2471770) deals an uppercut to TechCrunch and their staff.

