Valve, the company behind the popular Steam platform, has recently come under scrutiny in an antitrust lawsuit filed by Wolfire Games. According to court documents, Valve had only 336 employees in 2021, a relatively small number compared to other major game publishers. Despite its size, Valve continues to have a significant impact on the PC gaming industry through Steam.
The documents reveal that out of the 336 employees at Valve, 79 were dedicated to working on Steam, while a surprising 181 were in the “Games” department. This distribution of employees may seem counterintuitive, given Steam’s importance to the company’s profits and the infrequency of Valve’s game releases. Additionally, only 41 employees were working on hardware development at the time, just before the launch of the Steam Deck, with the remaining 35 in administrative roles.
Wolfire Games criticized Valve’s limited headcount in its lawsuit, arguing that the company does not allocate enough resources to maintaining and improving the Steam Store. Reports from former Valve employees have also indicated that the company’s “flat” corporate structure may have negative impacts on its workforce.
Despite these challenges, Valve remains a powerhouse in the gaming industry, with a strong presence in PC gaming through Steam and the recent introduction of the Steam Deck. When Valve does release a new game or update an existing one, it always garners attention from gamers.
To put Valve’s size into perspective, here are the headcounts of some other notable publishers and developers:
– Microsoft Gaming: ~20,100
– Ubisoft: 19,100
– Electronic Arts: ~13,700
– Sony Interactive Entertainment: 12,700
– Bungie: 1,350
– Larian: 470
– Naughty Dog: 400+
– Bioware: ~270 (post layoffs)
– New Blood Interactive: ~30
– Supergiant: 25
– Team Fortune: 2
Despite its smaller size compared to other industry giants, Valve continues to have a significant impact on the gaming landscape. The company’s focus on Steam and innovative projects like the Steam Deck demonstrate its commitment to pushing boundaries in the world of PC gaming. As Valve navigates the challenges presented in the antitrust lawsuit, it will be interesting to see how the company continues to evolve and shape the future of gaming.
