Valve’s internal financial and staffing details have emerged from an ongoing court case, revealing that the company has paid over $400 million to fewer than 400 employees. This leak highlights Valve’s surprisingly small headcount, given its substantial influence in the global PC gaming market.
Court documents from an antitrust case against Valve, the operator of Steam, shed light on the company’s payroll and employee numbers. Valve’s workforce, historically, never exceeded 400 people. In 2021, Valve had 336 employees, a number likely to have increased in recent years. Comparatively, major publishers like Microsoft, EA, and Ubisoft employ thousands.
Valve’s Workforce and Payroll Data
The leaked data, republished by The Verge after being uncovered by SteamDB operator Pavel Djundik, shows Valve’s total payments to employees across four divisions—”Admin”, “Game”, “Steam”, and “Hardware”—between 2003 and 2021. Notably, the hardware division was established in 2011.
Valve’s Steam division, responsible for a storefront with millions of daily users and thousands of games, never had more than 142 employees, peaking in 2015. Despite a reduction in staff, gross pay in this division rose to $157 million in 2021. The extent of Valve’s reliance on outsourcing remains unclear.
From 2008 to 2014, Valve’s gaming-related headcount and payroll saw significant growth, correlating with the release of major titles like Left 4 Dead 2, Portal 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Dota 2. Although the gaming staff stabilized around 200 employees since 2010, payroll peaked at $236 million in 2019, reflecting the strong revenue from Counter-Strike and Dota. The 2020 release of Half-Life: Alyx likely contributed to a payroll increase.
The hardware division’s expansion in the mid-2010s coincided with the launch of products like the Steam Controller, Steam Link, Steam Machines, and the Valve Index. The documents, however, do not cover the Steam Deck, launched in 2022. The handheld gaming PC’s development and production likely required significant outsourcing, given its manufacturing, shipping, and software development needs.
Valve, as a private company, has never had to disclose internal information on payroll or staffing, despite being a powerful entity in the PC gaming industry. This court case provides a rare glimpse into the company’s operations, revealing both the scale of its manpower and the substantial financial rewards for its employees.
Featured Image courtesy of Casimiro PT/Shutterstock
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