Rumor: NCSoft & Nexon Teaming Up To Buy Valve

Had to go old school.

Yeah, it’s back, a rumor about wonder child Valve being bought out. The previous rumor about the beloved developer/publisher/distributor circled around everyone’s favorite punching bag Electronic Arts. Not so much a rumor as a never going to happen, Valve CEO Doug Lombardi said he’d rather see the company and its employees spread across the globe than be gobbled up by the likes of EA. Even if it was a reported $1 billion-plus offer.

This time, the rumor is relevant to the MMOG crowd. News out of South Korea today has placed NCSoft and Nexon working together to gather funds for the fabled acquisition of Valve. According to a South Korean newspaper, the two companies met with Valve in Hawaii after gathering up cash from real estate and stock deals. Even with both powerhouse MMOG companies partnering up, the rumored offer was far shy of EA’s bid, coming in at a paltry $893 million.

Nexon, NCSoft’s largest shareholder, declined to comment on the rumor. NCSoft was more blunt, stating to Polygon that “There is no truth to this rumor.”

Such a merger would make for a ridiculously powerful new company/entity. Nexon would bring to the table 60+ F2P titles and the might of numerous NCSoft properties. Valve would bring western hardcore games like Left 4 Dead, Half-life and Team Fortress 2, not to mention its digital distribution service. We’re talking billions of dollars in revenue yearly coming together.

2 Comments

  1. Not a bad thought. TF2 has also been a cash cow, with Valve basically stating it wouldn’t have survived the MMOG crush of recent years without the transition done to TF2. DOTA2 will, likely, be even more lucrative. Valve has thrown a ton of money at it already. Crazy booths at/next to major conventions.

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