Valve On Being Acquired

[DigiQ8]

Valve's Doug Lombardi stated that Valve would be "happy to have that conversation," with any company who interested in acquiring Valve.

"By the same token, the company's doing pretty well, and we're really happy with what we're doing," he added.[br]

"So we'll see. I mean, anything is possible."

Doug also expressed how Valve is happy with their relationship with EA especially after what he referred to as "the Vivendi divorce."

"EA was very progressive about saying, 'We understand who you guys are. We understand what Steam is. We don't want Steam to go away.' Well, they might want Steam to go away, but they're not asking us to make Steam go away."

You can read more here.

 

[Yorick]

I'll kill any company that buys Valve.

Twice.

 

[scotland1]

 

[Lobster]

I think "happy to have that conversation" and "Interested in being acquired" are two very different things myself, no company is gonna close the door on listening to offers, but he doesnt say they are actively seeking the oppotunity, it was just a response to a direct question.

 

[Xendance]

EA to buy Valve.

 

[saratos]

Yeah, it was just kinda like, "oh, sure, I would be fine with talking about it..". Not really, "we are open, we want to be acquired!"

 

[Asknoone]

"happy to have that conversation," is not "Interested in being acquired".

Which Valve should not be. At all.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

In their situation, I'd be happy to have that conversation too. So I could get a really small piece of paper, write an obscenely large figure on it and push it across the table just to watch the reaction.

 

[PimpinPenguin]

As long as it's not EA, this might not be so bad. Unfortunately if anyone's willing to buy Valve it's EA, then we will get Half-Life every year with a spin off racer as well, and Steam can become subscription base, what the hell are Valve thinking!!!

 

[Dcode]

If EA acquire Valve i'll be ****ing sick!

Nightmarish thoughts indeed :x

 

[Druckles]

That's scary.

I vaguely laughed at "EA don't want Steam to go away". Yes. Yes, they do.

 

[staticprimer]

In their situation, I'd be happy to have that conversation too. So I could get a really small piece of paper, write an obscenely large figure on it and push it across the table just to watch the reaction.

 

[leib10]

No. No. No.

 

[Blinxx]

I got the worst dread feeling in my chest whilst reading the Gamasutra article. However, I think that things are just being read into. For example, looking at other comments by Lombardi, it seems that Valve are in a perfectly beneficial position.

What would Valve gain from being acquired? Just look at the growth of Steam in the past five years. Hell, just look at the past three years.

Srsly. We can't let another gaming company be eaten up by EA.

 

[saratos]

While I enjoy the direction that EA is going in (good games), it seems like it is only because they have absorbed enough talent, and have enough money, that they are taking risks. While I look forward to the things they publish, I can't help but hate them for being so aggressive about buying companies.

 

[V-Man339]

**** no.

I didn't buy retail because of EA's dealing in it, and I won't buy anything if EA is the one owning Valve.

 

[Stormy]

DON'T DO IT EVER!

As if Valve need the money with the revenue they are racking in with Steam. That would be a silly move and the end of one of the very few game companies that have the freedom to make the games they love.

 

[Mellish]

Hopefully VALVe is reading our reactions to this statement and taking it in.

 

[Combine_Advisor]

if ea buys valve hl2 would be ruined

 

[nurizeko]

No.

No, sorry Valve, just no.

If you so much as try to arrange an informal meeting to discuss the best date for a quick chat about the prospect of selling out, every single person here is going to ****ing enrole under an old master and study ninjitsu for 3 years, then we are going to find every single person who is remotely related to the company making sounds about buying you out and were going to make them disappear.



You are simply not allowed to sell out. We the community would rather watch Valve quietly disappear into the night of oblivion then tolerate the blasphemous half-existence we would be tortured with witnessing under some other company's banner.

If it came down to it I would sooner see Valve cease to exist by the sheer power of our collective will breaking the laws of physics and condemning all that was Valve to the abyss.

Your our wife now, Dave...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a27zbNyf3x4













Actually I wouldn't mind, as long as Valve kept its autonomy, but Valve is a successful unique company which makes class games, I doubt its in any position of needing to sell out to anyone.

Also agreed with the above, saying "we wouldn't mind having that conversation" is just a diplomatic way of keeping all options open, no-one has said they are wanting to take offers or anything.

 

[Crispy]

While Valve does make its fair share of mistakes, the big difference between it and other big names in the industry is that Valve almost always take quick steps to remedy the situation.

I highly doubt that anyone acquiring Valve would have that same sentiment, unless in playtests for Half-Life 10 Valve discovered their prototype for a virtual reality inter-dimensional portal actually worked and Gabe came back in time to buy Valve as part of the biggest PR stunt ever.

 

[FunkyHippo?]

Smells like Valve is going down hill.

 

[AtomicSpark]

Valve is more then just Half-life. They're the soul behind Steam and everything it stands for.

 

[PvtRyan]

In their situation, I'd be happy to have that conversation too. So I could get a really small piece of paper, write an obscenely large figure on it and push it across the table just to watch the reaction.

One million dollars!

 

[Absinthe]

Smells like Valve is going down hill.

Can I kill you? Pretty please?

 

[605Scorpion]

This is dreadful.

Valve is the last beacon on hope in the gaming world. They're seriously the reason I haven't stopped playing games. If they get bought out, I have 0 faith in any more good games coming out of them.

 

[Kadayi]

I'd actually like it if EA got their act together and started selling their games on Steam tbh, rather than lamely attempting DD themselves. :dozey:

As regards Valve acquisition, it wouldn't surprise me if it happens one day. Despite all the praise and Kudos the company receives, their inability to deliver on time certainly must strain their finances at times, esp given their ever expanding workforce. I'm sure Steam provides an alternative revenue stream, but it's not a consistent one I suspect.

 

[Evo]

Damn you Dig! I didn't have time to do this before heading out earlier



Blogged my thoughts...I think...

 

[Druckles]

You're my wife now, Dave!

 

[Iron_cube]

Valve wouldn't be ... special ... anymore if they were owned by someone or something else.

 

[FunkyHippo?]

Can I kill you? Pretty please?

Sorry if I annoyed anyone. It just seems like they are. Doesn't mean it's true, and me saying that they're going downhill doesn't mean I'm against valve.

 

[highlander]

NO! I won't allow it! Valve is better being independent! **** off EA!

 

[97AndyMacK]

I'll kill any company that buys Valve.

Twice.

Aye.

Aye to that.

 

[Insano]

**** no.

 

[Absinthe]

Because somebody asked how they would feel about being acquired, and Valve gives an ambiguous, non-confirmatory response other than "We'll talk about it", let's assume Valve is going down the shitter and the end is upon them.

My God, people.

 

[Sufferin-rebel]

EA is the 'New world order' of the gaming industry...

The One Game Publisher/Developer.

EA, New Order....
Conspiracy's inbound!

 

[TwwIX]

Lovely. Now it's just a matter of time till EA gets ahold of them.

 

[Asknoone]

I love how everyone is treating what is nothing but a cryptic response to a silly question like the goddamned apocalypse

 

[Blinxx]

Because somebody asked how they would feel about being acquired, and Valve gives an ambiguous, non-confirmatory response other than "We'll talk about it", let's assume Valve is going down the shitter and the end is upon them.

My God, people.

I understand why people might be worrying about even the possibility of a take-over. I have hundreds of pounds worth of games on my Steam account. What would happen to them? What would happen to Steam? I can't imagine that EA wouldn't be extremely interested in Steam.

If I disagreed with the practices of another company that happened to acquire a system which my favourite games were tied to, I wouldn't be too happy. Especially if I were forced to use this system to play these games. After all, we don't own these games. We accepted the terms of the EULA in order to play these games, and the SSA when we signed up to use Steam

This is all hypothetical, however. I don't believe that EA will buyout Valve; I believe this article is being taken out of context. Yet I do understand why there is such an issue with even the possibility.

 

[Gorgon]

I just can't believe what I'm reading. is this for real ? :/