Ever since AppleInsider reported that Apple CEO Tim Cook visited Valve headquarters last week, the rumor mills were abuzz. The implications of a partnership between these two companies would be as big as it gets in the video game industry. Valve is mainly known as a video game developer and for its Steam network which serves as a video game platform which allows both PC and Mac users to download a vast library of games. To put it simply, Valve holds a lot of clout in the video game industry.
Valve has already been involved in recent rumors this year including one in particular that said Valve is currently developing a hardware video game console to rival the Xbox 360 and the PS3. When you bring Apple in the mix, things get crazy. Could Valve be working directly with Apple to develop a new console or even partner with Apple to help develop Apple’s new TV set with Steam bundled in?
I hate to burst your bubble, though, as a recent podcast preview on Kotaku revealed that Tim Cook actually did not visit Valve’s headquarters. All of this seems to be made up. Nonetheless, we all know that Apple, who for a long time spurned the video game industry, is now fully embracing that medium as not only valid, but highly profitable. Games are garnering Apple an enormous amount of income through the app store. As more and more people own iPhones, more games are being downloaded and played. You might catch a fellow commuter playing a game of Angry Birds on the train to work. You may have even witnessed them drop their iPhone and crack their screen in the process; you know where to go for an iPhone screen repair dont you 😉
Summing things up, although Apple may or may not be partnering up with Valve, Apple is in the video game market and they are here to stay.