Valve Corporation

Valve Corporation, also known as Valve Software, is an American, privately held video game developer, publisher and digital distribution company headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, founded in 1996 by former Microsoft employees Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington. The company built its early reputation on the Half-Life series and other franchises including Counter-Strike, Portal, Team Fortress and Dota, but its largest business today is Steam, the digital game distribution platform it launched in 2003 that has grown into the dominant storefront for PC gaming. Valve has also developed hardware including the Steam Machine, Steam Deck handheld and Valve Index virtual reality headset, and it operates with a distinctively flat, manager-free internal organizational structure.