Valve, the gaming company, not a pipe valve, has been around since 1996, created by Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington followed their ambition and the growing market of entertainment on console devices.
Valve’s first game was called “Half-Life,” and it was a huge hit. People loved the game’s innovative gameplay, immersive storytelling, and of course, its protagonist Gordon Freeman’s iconic voice lines. Half-Life as a franchise was so successful that it is considered among the greatest games of all time despite being over 20 years old!
But Valve’s real breakthrough came in 2003 when they released the app “Steam.” It was an online platform that allowed people to buy and download virtually , and play games without ever having to leave their couch. And it wasn’t just for Valve games, it worked for games from other developers too! It was like having an all-you-can-play buffet of video games, without any of the calories.
Since then, Valve has continued to innovate and push the boundaries of gaming. They’ve released games like “Portal,” which taught us that teleportation via portals is as cool as it seems, and “Team Fortress 2,” which taught us that hats can be more important than guns.
Of course, Valve has faced some challenges along the way. The development of their games have famously been plagued with delays, and the company has faced criticism for their lack of communication about future projects (I’m talking about you Half Life 3.). Steam being an online service app also had its fair share of hacker encounters. In 2011, Valve faced security breaches by hackers who were able to take credit card information! Fortunately, Valve quickly made sure to develop their security measures to make sure their users were not taken advantage of again.
Despite all the criticism, Valve is a beloved company that takes gaming seriously, but never takes itself too seriously. And that’s why gamers love them no matter how difficult it may be for Valve to count to 3…
Register now to join the conversation, access exclusive content and be a part of our exclusive brand communities.
