Gabe Newell Is A Goddamn Billionaire. A Mere 853 Places From Being Richest Dude On Earth

For some reason I never really contemplated how much money  Gabe Newell has in his rather sizable pockets. Sure he is the head of Valve, honcho behind Steam. Perhaps the proud owner of a new console. Even with all that considered, I didn’t think he had a billi. Well, as I am wont to be, I am wrong. Wrong like woah.

Kotaku:

Gabe Newell is now the 854th richest person on the planet,  reports business website Forbes today. This is Forbes’ 25th annual list of the  world’s richest billionaires–a list which cumulates to a record $4.6 trillion amongst its members.

Newell’s $1.5 billion net worth places him amongst the 1,225 other billionaires. He joins128 new list members, who range from gambling stars to fashion icons to those who’ve simply inherited their billions.

Valve sales in 2011–both from the release of immensely successful  Portal 2  and the digital distribution service, Steam–contributed to the company’s $3 billion enterprise value, according to Forbes:

Privately-held Valve Corporation is tight-lipped about revenues, and Newell doesn’t comment on his personal finances. So in order to estimate his net worth, Forbes consulted with video game industry insiders, equity analysts, investment bankers, and technology analysts to figure out what the company is worth. Even the most conservative estimates put Valve’s enterprise value at more than $3 billion, and since Newell owns more than 50% of the company, that means he’s worth at least $1.5 billion.

Carry on, Gabe. May your pockets swell and your days be long. Or something. Fuck am I talking about. What’s that noise. It’s in the frakkin’ ship!