British publication The Inquirer sent the gaming community into a tizzy by stating Google was about to purchase Valve, primarily for its digital distribution platform Steam. Apparently their well-placed sources were mistaken, though.

When reached for comment by Shacknews, Valve Software's marketing VP Doug Lombardi simply replied: "Rumor". No one has seen Valve head Gabe Newell driving around Washington in a gold-plated rocket car, either - which is what I'd be doing if Google threw a mountain o' cash at me. Google, meanwhile, told MCV that “We do not comment on rumour and speculation.” So there.

Of course, these comments don't completely rule out the possibility - "hey, they didn't say it was an false rumor!" - though the word "rumor" probably has a more negative connotation to anyone who isn't a game news junkie. Furthermore, a purchase of Valve by Google did seem pretty unlikely from the get-go. At the end of August, Newell told VG247 that he wasn't interested in selling the company. "I get approached a couple of times a week by people saying, ‘Can we invest in you, can we buy you?’ That’s been true for several years. We’re having too much fun." In other words, you can all stop Photoshopping the Google and Valve logos together.