Microsoft to buy Valve, rumour says

According to Forbes, Gabe Newell, Valve co-founder and CEO, Valve has a net worth of over $4 billion

Web Desk - May 23, 2024

An undated image showing a Valve headset. — Valve

Dior, a gaming-focused creator renowned in the Counter-Strike community, has claimed to have heard that Microsoft is planning a $16 billion offer to acquire Valve Corporation, a deal that would also presumably include the Steam Store, the most popular PC gaming platform.

Microsoft buying Valve, reportedly

There are numerous reasons why this would make sense for Microsoft, as the company is keen to enter the handheld market, an area where Valve already has a foothold with the Steam Deck. Furthermore, it would significantly boost Microsoft's PC gaming revenue, as owning the Steam Store is essentially like owning a money printer.

However, there are few reasons to believe this makes any sense for Valve. As mentioned earlier, the Steam Store is a money printer, with some estimates putting its annual revenue at over $10 billion.

Microsoft buy Valve, but for how much?

The company itself is estimated to be valued at around $8 billion, and according to Forbes, Gabe Newell, Valve co-founder and CEO, has a net worth of over $4 billion, although net worth doesn't directly translate into immediate cash available.

Valve is a privately owned company and has been for its entire existence, so public details about the company's finances are scarce, and the true value of assets like the Steam Store or intellectual property such as Counter-Strike, Dota, and Half-Life remains a mystery. Any PC gamer would likely guess that Valve is worth far more than $16 billion.

The source of this rumour, Dior, also claimed that Gabe Newell owns less than 25 percent of Valve, which would account for a large portion of his multi-billion dollar net worth.

Microsoft Valve: Acquisition or a merger?

Unless Newell suddenly wants to cash in and retire, Valve is very unlikely to entertain any buyout offers, especially from Microsoft. However, it is known that many Valve employees hold stock options, so if a massive offer is made, it would be put to a vote.