Nexon & NCsoft looking to buy Valve [Debunked]

[Turjan]

The one constant in Valve's long history is an absolute decree that they will never sell out, no matter what. Which makes them an obvious target to spin rumour stories about whenever the financial gaming seas are getting a bit choppy, as they are right now.

NCSoft are heavily in the news lately because of falling profits, heavy investment in B&S and GW2, and (of course) the CoH fiasco. So anyone who wants to draw attention to themselves just has to write an article saying "I heard a rumour that NCSoft and Nexon were going to buy Valve!" and -bingo!- instant readership ;)

The only interesting thing about this rumour circulating yet again is the timing of it, as I say - such rumours only gain momentum when the market is wobbly.

[Profit]

1) They sell CoH (and other stuffs) in an attempt to buy Valve?

2) Valve says "lolwut" and leaves.

3) ??

Me? ;)

[Back Blast]

Given their apparent disdain for and desire to leave the Western market (see CoH, Shutting down of), why would they want to buy Valve, a Western developer and distributor? Doesn't seem like a good fit to me, even if NC had enough cash to make Newell reconsider his no-sell stance. Now Valve buying NC, that would be delish.

[cforciea]

Here's my random though:

The numbers are all wrong for this to have ever been an attempt to buy Valve. $839 million? That's way less than EA even offered them. But! What if the sale/merger is a real possibility, but going the other way? $839 million is certainly not enough to buy NCSoft, but seems like a much more plausible number for say NCSoft West...

[downix]

Here's my random though:

The numbers are all wrong for this to have ever been an attempt to buy Valve. $839 million? That's way less than EA even offered them. But! What if the sale/merger is a real possibility, but going the other way? $839 million is certainly not enough to buy NCSoft, but seems like a much more plausible number for say NCSoft West...

This thought has crossed my mind, several times. But do not want to get my hopes up.

[Osborn]

This thought has crossed my mind, several times. But do not want to get my hopes up.

Not trying to be overly negative, but just because NCSoft is failing to buy Valve doesn't mean Valve wants to buy them either.

NCSoft West right now is what.. 3 server farms? at this point? Do they develop anything here at all anymore?

Yeah. I wouldn't want to buy that, period, if I was valve. Let alone pay an extraordinary amount of money for it.

[cforciea]

And there's this little studio called Arenanet.

[Victoria Victrix]

Not trying to be overly negative, but just because NCSoft is failing to buy Valve doesn't mean Valve wants to buy them either.

NCSoft West right now is what.. 3 server farms? at this point? Do they develop anything here at all anymore?

Yeah. I wouldn't want to buy that, period, if I was valve. Let alone pay an extraordinary amount of money for it.

At this point, NCSoft West owns the IP for CoH, and the IP for Wildstar as well as ArenaNet.  I don't believe they actually own the servers on the server farms, they lease them.  I doubt Wildstar and CoH are worth $800 mill, but they are certainly worth something.

[Osborn]

At this point, NCSoft West owns the IP for CoH, and the IP for Wildstar as well as ArenaNet.  I don't believe they actually own the servers on the server farms, they lease them.  I doubt Wildstar and CoH are worth $800 mill, but they are certainly worth something.

I was under the impression that ArenaNet wasn't domestic, so disregard that.

[TimtheEnchanter]

I was feeling like Bill Cosby in his Noah skit the moment I read this on the NC forums. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bputeFGXEjA

[Zerias]

Ahem: https://plus.google.com/u/0/117255203942825212306/posts/Rh1oUP4MDBX

Shortly followed by: https://plus.google.com/u/0/117255203942825212306/posts/WdtWCpSwnEF

[TimtheEnchanter]

I need to take that with a grain of salt. It sounds HEAVILY speculative, unless there's some inside info being passed around that isn't supposed to be.

The #1 reason I feel like this is bunk... the folks who are still working there haven't been scared off by it. Someone came into the forums today and said they'd see about getting AP33 back up again for us, and within a couple hours it was there. So someone who is still working there, still has our backs.

Also, if they kicked Zwill for failing to disrupt protests, then why not replace him with somebody who WOULD? The protests are still on, and still making an impact.

It would certainly be interesting though if Zwill WAS supposed to be interrupting the protests. Can you imagine that?

Message: "You have been banned." Reason: "Use of torch emote."

That would be the funniest thing since the SWTOR Ilum bans.

[Kheprera]

It's pretty clear to me that if Zwill had been fired for not dropping the banhammer on the protestors that the massive group of devs who showed up for their dinner would not have.

So reasonable logic says... no.

Also, if anyone thinks that banning us from the game would make us stop, I double-dog dare them try.  We're still being polite.

Ban us, and my polite façade will disappear.

[Codewalker]

Zwil fired for not banning pretty much the entire population of the game? Yeah, somehow I doubt that.

I think it's much more likely somebody said, "We really don't need to pay two community people to sunset a game, one of you has got to go."