Every gamer can say with confidence whothis is Gabe Newell. This genius of computer games has achieved tremendous success in all his endeavors. In his hands is concentrated power over one of the most famous and profitable studios - Valve Corporation. To date, Gabe Newell is among the richest people in the world according to Forbes magazine. His company is worth about $ 3 million, and half of this money belongs to the developer personally.
This multimillionaire was born on November 3, 1962.Little is known about the childhood and youth of the developer. One thing is clear: Newell was still a child with a sufficiently developed mind, thanks to which he entered Harvard University after graduation. But he was not destined to get a scientific degree, because at that time the whole world was fond of computer technologies that were gaining popularity, and Gabe was no exception and gave his time to this science. At the risk of his future, Newell is dropping out of school and getting a job in an unknown company at the time Microsoft. Ultimately, this decision brings him millions of dollars.
After working at Bill Gates for 13 years andinspired by the success of Michael Abrash, who had previously left the corporation and created his own Quake project, Gabe Newell decides to go on a free voyage. In 1996, together with his friend Mike Harrington, who also worked for Microsoft, he creates his own small computer game development studio called Valve. Then this small corporation was unknown to anyone, and investors were not in a hurry to invest their means in it, afraid to get burned. Therefore, Gabe and Mike had to part with their money to fund their first development.
Buying the engine Quake engine, they are his strongreworked, and already on this basis created their first masterpiece Half-Life, released in 1998. The game became an undeniable hit, and it's no surprise that the company started developing the second part of the series. After its creation, the world learned who Gabe Newell is. Based on this engine, such popular modifications and games as Team Fortress Classic and Counter-Strike were born. In 2000, after receiving impressive monetary compensation, Mike Harrington left the company Valve, and the sole owner of this already well-known studio is Gabe.
If we talk about who is Gabe Newell, thenone can not help but mention the games he created. In addition to the Half-Life series, the studio Valve has become famous for many more loud projects. The most popular of them will be discussed next. Let's start with the favorite shooter of all gamers - Counter-Strike. This multiplayer game was released in 1999 as a modification to Half-Life and became famous for its network mode. If you have a desire to shoot terrorists and have fun with friends, then you can safely run this old, but still popular game, on the grid. Another hit, which released the studio Valve, is a game in the style of the zombie apocalypse Left 4 Dead. This shooter with elements of survival horror, released in 2008, won the title of "Game of the Year." Not surprisingly, after a short time, there was a continuation, which acquired a corporate regime.
Do you like intellectual puzzles?If so, you should wander through the mazes Portal. Due to its original storyline, excellent music and graphics, this game won more than 70 awards and at one time held the lead in sales. The puzzle was released by the studio in 2007, and in 2011 there was a sequel that surpassed the popularity of the first part of the game.
Another brainchild who can tell whosuch as Gabe Newell, is a world-famous service for the sale of games and software, which appeared in 2003. Through Steam its products are distributed not only by Valve Studio, but also by other well-known developers such as id Software, GSC Game World, Rockstar Games, THQ, Capcom, 2K Games, Atari, Ubisoft, Eidos Interactive, Bethesda Softworks, 1C and others. statistics, this service sells about 10 thousand games a year.
Initially Steam was conceived for simplicitycomputer games updates, in particular Counter-Strike, because at that time any gamer could not be allowed to battles if the version of his game is outdated. But very quickly Gabe came to the conclusion that the sale of software through such a service - is a gold mine. Initially, you could buy games only studio Valve, but in 2005, the catalog of virtual products has expanded significantly. Steam quickly gained popularity, already in 2007 this service acquired a new system, focused on the social component of the community. Through the Steam Community, users from all over the world can communicate, create their own groups and invite their friends to the games. To date, this service is the main leader, leaving competitors far behind.
