What Is the World's Richest Game Developer Gabe Newell's Net Worth?

Gabe Newell founded the highly successful game company Valve Software.

PUBLISHED NOV 6, 2023

Cover Image Source: Portrait of American video game developer Gabe Newell, photographed at Valve Corporations / Olly Curtis/Future Publishing via Getty Images

Name	Gabe Newell
Net Worth	$6 billion
Gender	Male
Date of Birth	Nov 3, 1962
Age	61 years
Nationality	United States of America
Profession	Entrepreneur, Businessperson, Video Game Producer

Gabe Newell's net worth

Gabe Newell, an American entrepreneur in the video game industry, boasts a net worth of $6 billion. He amassed his wealth by co-founding and serving as the managing director of Valve Corporation, a video game development and online distribution company headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. Valve is renowned for its creation of popular titles like Half-Life, Counter-Strike, and Portal 2.

Image Source: Gabe Newell, co-founder of game-maker Valve, speaks next to the winner's trophy during the opening ceremony of the International Dota 2 Championships / STR/AFP via Getty Images

What are Gabe Newell's sources of income?

Valve Corporation

In 1996, Gabe Newell and fellow Microsoft employee Mike Harrington left their positions at Microsoft to establish Valve. They used their funds to support the development of the video game "Half-Life" and the GoldSrc game engine. While working on "Half-Life 2," Newell shifted his focus to the Steam Project. He has voiced his discontent with developing software for gaming consoles like the PlayStation 3 but made an appearance at Sony's Electronic Entertainment Expo keynote address. Newell has also criticized Xbox Live and the Windows 8 operating system.

Valve Corporation has created popular games like Counter-Strike, Day of Defeat, and Portal. Forbes recognized Newell in December 2010 as "A Name You Should Know" for his work with Steamworks. In March 2013, he received the BAFTA Fellowship Award for his exceptional creative contributions to the video game industry and was inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame that same year.

Image Source: : Portrait of American video game developer Gabe Newell, photographed at Valve Corporations / Olly Curtis/Future Publishing via Getty Images — Portrait of American video game developer Gabe Newell, photographed at Valve Corporations / Olly Curtis/Future Publishing via Getty Images

Forbes under 400

In 2016, Gabe Newell made a noteworthy appearance on the Forbes 400 list, securing the 134th position. It's worth mentioning that he found himself among oil and gas magnates, which is quite unusual given that his fortune was amassed through technology and the video game industry. Newell's journey began as one of the original architects of the Windows operating system at Microsoft, mirroring the path of Microsoft's founder, Bill Gates, by departing from Harvard to pursue a career in computing.

Image Source: Gabe Newell, co-founder of game-maker Valve, discuss Intel's role in Valve's gaming development, during Krzanich's keynote address at the 2014 International CES at The Venetian hotel, /ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images — Image Source: Gabe Newell, co-founder of game-maker Valve, discusses Intel's role in Valve's gaming development, during Krzanich's keynote address at the 2014 International CES at The Venetian hotel, /ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

Gabe Newell's personal life

Gabe Newell, also known as Gaben, was born on November 3, 1962, in Colorado. He attended Davis Senior High School in Davis, California, briefly studied at Harvard University before leaving, spent 13 years at Microsoft, and claims to have been the producer for the first three releases of Microsoft Windows. He married Lisa Mennet on the same day he founded Valve with Harrington and is a father of two sons. The birth of his first son, Gray, in the late '90s, influenced the creation of the final boss in "Half-Life" due to a challenging childbirth experience.

FAQs

What is Gabe Newell's net worth?

Gabe Newell has an estimated net worth of $6 billion.

How did Gabe Newell make his money?

Newell co-founded Valve, the closely held video game developer that operates the gaming platform Steam, a video game digital distribution service and storefront.

What games did Gabe Newell make?

Newell is the co-founder of Valve, that has created gaming titles such as Half-Life, Portal 2, Left 4 Dead, and Counter-Strike.