We can’t be sure if there are layoffs happening at Microsoft this week, but it’s possible given the significant data leak that occurred during the FTC trial, revealing company secrets.
And as our duty is to inform you about everything important happening in the industry, we believe it’s worth mentioning that Xbox is looking favorably at acquiring Valve, the giant of computer gaming responsible for your beloved Steam.
One of the less-publicized revelations from the dramatic Microsoft document leak is that Xbox chief Phil Spencer and Microsoft’s board of directors were interested in making an offer to acquire software developer Valve Software, based in Bellevue, Washington.
Buying Valve was always an option at Microsoft
In this week’s Xbox leak, several documents were presented as evidence in Microsoft’s ongoing hearings against the FTC. Among them, there was an email from August 2020 between Spencer and Microsoft’s marketing executives, Takeshi Numoto and Chris Capossela.
The email was primarily focused on the possibilities of Microsoft acquiring or merging with Nintendo, a possibility that Spencer described as a “professional moment.”
As a side note, however, Spencer mentioned that Microsoft had a “document” regarding the possibility of acquiring Valve, and that Microsoft’s board was open to the opportunity if it arose.
Certainly, the leak about Nintendo has garnered most of the attention (especially the note that Spencer is or was in contact with at least two parties actively acquiring Nintendo stock), but a theoretical acquisition of Valve would have a comparable impact.
Valve is the company behind several of the most well-known franchises in the modern video game industry, the most prominent of which is undoubtedly the Half-Life series and the popular military shooter Counter-Strike, whose sequel is slated to arrive at an undetermined future date.
More importantly, Valve is the sole owner and operator of Steam, the original digitally distributed PC gaming storefront, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary as the market leader in digital PC gaming.
