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Comment by partiallypro | Hacker News Reader

I'll honestly be shocked if Microsoft doesn't buy Valve in day for Steam. Obviously current ownership would be against it, even with Nadella, but one day it just feels like a guarantee.

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Microsoft has tried to buy Valve multiple times. The funny thing is, Valve originally pitched Steam to Microsoft, asked them to build it and they said no (https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/the-last-of-the-indep...), so they ended up building it themselves. Now, there is no guarantee that a Microsoft built store would have gained the same dominance as Steam (MS has launched multiple stores for Windows since), but it's funny to think about.

Valve and Gabe have explicitly said if will never happen. I met someone that once worked at MSFT in corporate development. Said they spent months working on a pitch to acquire Valve and Gabe kicked them out of the building after 15 minutes.

Valve was founded by ex Microsoft devs wasn't it?

Yes. Gabe was the PM for Windows 95.

He and Michael Harrington founded Valve a year afterwards. I asked Gabe over email if it was because it was the 1 year anniversary of Windows 95 launch but he said Valve was actually founded on his wedding day.

GabeN really dislikes Microsoft and he used to work for them.

That's never going to happen, at least not while he's alive.

Any companies including Microsoft cannot buy Valve because it is a perfectly private company owned by Gabe.

Yes, that's why I said "current ownership" I was referring to Valve not Microsoft's ownership. Gabe will one day pass, and I believe Microsoft will buy it there after.

Valve has to want to sell first, and I think there is basically a 0% chance of that happening.

Gabe has to want to sell first. It's 100% owned by Gabe.

Valve is Gabe's baby. He already has freedom to do whatever he wants in life with his cash cow so why would he also give up his legacy to be obliterated?

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