Microsoft Could Acquire Valve To Save Xbox Family

By Nathaniel Artosilla, Christian Post Contributor Monday, February 12, 2018

Microsoft could look to acquire Valve to save its gaming business. This is after reports that the Xbox One continues to struggle in terms of sales due in part to the lack of compelling titles that can be played only on the platform.

Business Insider recently penned an article detailing the curious case of the Xbox One. The console is currently sitting in second place with an estimated 30 million to 50 million units, far behind the 70 million PlayStation 4 consoles sold by Sony.

The problem is that Nintendo's Switch is quickly catching up, selling 14 million units before its first anniversary. This was mainly due to a vast selection of exclusive titles, something that Microsoft has not been able to master ever since it dove, head first, into the video game industry.

Looking to remedy this, the Redmond giant is reportedly in talks to acquire fellow Washington State resident Valve Corporation. The independent developer and publisher is known for its Steam gaming platform and owns a number of first-party multiplayer titles such as "Dota 2," "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive," and "Team Fortress 2."

Acquiring Valve may solve not just one but two of Microsoft's problems, the other being their unconverting online stores. Valve has been making big bucks with Steam's highly intuitive store displaying everything from reviews to previews. On paper, such an acquisition couldn't possibly have any bad repercussions.

However, not everyone is pleased with the idea of such a deal happening mainly because Microsoft still hasn't earned the goodwill of PC gamers. Buying a company like Valve won't count towards earning that respect and would likely cause the opposite and provoke the outrage of PC gamers.

But a little fan backlash shouldn't force Microsoft out of a deal with a company that could potentially make the Xbox a powerhouse again. Then again, there are other alternatives to Valve and earning the ire of PC gamers isn't worth gaining a few stellar exclusives for their console.