Growing pains for Dota 2 and Counter-Strike creator Valve as video game giant’s success attracts scrutiny
It’s a company where there is no hierarchy and no job titles, staff choose the projects they want to work on, and pay rises are determined by anonymous feedback from peers
Earlier this week, in front of thousands of mostly young fans, two teams filed into soundproof boxes on a stage in a darkened arena. The teams of five each took their seats in front of custom-built computers, and began testing their reflexes and strategy in a quest for a cut of a US$23 million prize pool.
Eager fans followed the action broadcast to the large video screen above. Sounds of the in-game clashes and live commentary blare through the arena.
Before the action began, a curious opening act: a few words from a burly, bearded man in his 50s. That would be Gabe Newell, one of the most powerful figures in video gaming.
Newell’s company, Valve, developed Dota 2, the video game whose signature tournament kicked off this week for its sixth year in Seattle, USA. He typically takes the stage at the outset to thank fans for coming before acknowledging that they’re not here to see him. That bit of public humility is typical from a man who maintains he isn’t the boss of the company he owns.
Some former employees dispute the vision of a boss-less utopia, but there is no doubt the unusual corporate formula, however it works, has made Valve one of the most successful video game companies in the world.
The maker of Dota 2, Counter-Strike and Half-Life, Valve also operates Steam, the main digital storefront for PC games. That combination makes Valve the video gaming equivalent of a movie studio like Universal Pictures, if Universal also happened to own Netflix.