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NCsoft deny Valve acquisition speculation: “There is no truth to this rumour.”

Valve

The internet has been afire with talk of a potential Valve acquisition by NCsoft, together with fellow Korean publisher Nexon. According to a report on Korean site JoongAng Ilbo – which cites an anonymous source – CEOs from both publishers met in September to discuss a merger, after which the acquisition would reportedly take place.

All of which now appears to be merely an unusually exciting form of hogwash. An NCsoft representative told Polygon, in no uncertain terms: “There is no truth to this rumour.”

The fire has been fuelled by recent movements from Nexon. The publisher bought a majority stake in NCsoft back in June, and have recently been selling off real estate to fund – well, who knows what, but certainly not a Valve buyout.

If you’re wondering why Nexon and Valve sound so right together in the same sentence, that’ll be because the Korean publisher is responsible for Counter-Strike Online, the micropayment-modelled FPS currently making waves in Asia.

It’s worth remembering that Gabe Newell has previously told the New York Times that Valve would “disintegrate” before selling to an outside party.