Valve billionaire Gabe Newell says “people talk s*** at me in chat, and about once a week people say, hey noob, uninstall the game” but “that’s really about their enthusiasm” so he still plays Dota 2 “every day”
By Austin Wood
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Valve billionaire Gabe Newell says “people talk s*** at me in chat, and about once a week people say, hey noob, uninstall the game” but “that’s really about their enthusiasm” so he still plays Dota 2 “every day”
Austin Wood
11 September 2025
Even Gabe Newell isn’t immune to being flamed in MOBAs
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(Image credit: Gabe Newell / Valve)
Valve founder and boat-loving billionaire Gabe Newell might get flamed in Dota 2, but he reckons that’s just the “enthusiasm” of those angry gamers coming through, so he still loves the game and its community, and somehow has the stamina to play it “every day.”
Newell released a short message to kick off The International 2025, the MOBA’s latest massive Dota 2 tournament. You can scrub back to the snippet in this English live stream, a bit over an hour in, if you want to watch it for yourself.
“Hi, I’m Gabe Newell,” he begins. “14 years ago, we held the first International in Cologne, Germany. For me, that first International was awesome. It was awesome to see the skill of the players and the enthusiasm of the community. Before that first International, I really enjoyed the game. But after The International, I loved the game.
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“It’s not just the game I love, but the community,” he continues. “Sure, people talk shit at me in chat, and about once a week people say, hey noob, uninstall the game and [censor blip]. But that’s really about their enthusiasm, and the energy that they bring, and that’s why, after all these years, I still play Dota every day. Now we’re back in Germany once more to cheer and celebrate again. [In German] Oh man, this is going to be so much fun.
“To all the Dota fans who’ve been with us from day one, to those of you who’ve joined us along the way, and to any of you who are tuning in for the first time, welcome to The International.”
Newell might be funneling a $9.5 billion fortune into boats larger than my house, and his daily routine might sound like something a content creator would invent to parody the rich, but there are a few great equalizers in this world. I get flamed in online games, so do you, and so does Gabe Newell. Personally, when I’m 62 years old, I hope to still have the dexterity and mental fortitude necessary to play a MOBA, but I hope to very much not be playing a MOBA.
Valve just gave Steam a much-needed glow-up, with a client update finally adding users’ long-requested features like UI scaling and more: “Thank you, Lord Gaben.”
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Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He’s been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They’ve yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he’s kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.
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Steam founder Gabe Newell is investing his $9.5 billion fortune in his new passion, big ass boats, because he’s “a hands-on visionary who respects the sea”
Valve boss and superyacht enthusiast Gabe Newell says pitching VCs is a “deeply distracted” way to make money: “If you’re creating value for people, the capital will come your way”
Valve’s Gabe Newell predicts AI will lead to a “funny situation” where “people who don’t know how to program” could be “more effective” than people “who’ve been programming for a decade”
Valve founder Gabe Newell is doing billionaire things again with the $300 million purchase of a ship the size of an NFL football field designed to explore the deepest parts of the ocean
Valve boss Gabe Newell made a $9.5 billion net worth off everything from Steam to Half-Life and Portal, but he says his success all comes down to “luck” and “great people”
Gabe Newell says he ditched Microsoft and made Valve and Half-Life to prove “a better approach to game design” at a time where “there were more people using Doom than using Windows”
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