Gabe Newell
Walter Day Lifetime Achievement
Class of 2020 Inductee
Gabe is the president and co-founder of Valve Corporation.
He attended Harvard University in the early 1980s but dropped out to join Microsoft, where he helped create the first versions of the Windows operating system. In 1996, he and Mike Harrington left Microsoft to found Valve and fund the development of their first game, Half-Life
During the development of Half-Life 2, Newell spent several months developing Steam, a digital distribution service for games.
By 2011, Steam controlled between 50% and 70% of the market for downloaded PC games and generated most of Valve’s revenue.
At a technology conference in Seattle that year, Newell argued that software piracy was best addressed by offering a superior option rather than pursuing anti-piracy technology.
As of 2024, Newell had become less involved in Valve and was spending more time on personal projects.
Wikipedia Link:
Major Accomplishments:
In 2009, IGN named Newell one of the top 100 game creators, writing that it was “almost impossible to gauge” Valve’s influence on game design, technology and the video games industry.
In December 2010, Forbes listed Newell as “A Name You Need to Know”, primarily for his work on Steam and partnerships with multiple major developers.
In 2013, Newell was added to the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame and received the BAFTA Fellowship for his contributions to the video game industry.
2020 IVGHOF Ceremony Acceptance Speech: