PC Gamer Interview with Gabe Newell

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So, PC Gamer has published a great portion of the Gabe Newell interview that we recently heard about. This is the interview wherein Mr. Newell mentions that Valve has some big surprises coming in the next 12 months or so. He also expands on Valve's experimental development process, such as TF2 stuff and customer communication. Oh, and we'll probably be seeing casual, motion-based mobile games that utilize micro transactions.

Gabe Newell: Oh yeah, absolutely. I mean think about it from our perspective, where we're very much at the infancy on design decisions, how to give customers value. We have way, way more questions than we have answers, and so a lot of what we do is designed to give us a good perspective on our range of choices.

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Gabe Newell: We have three surprises. I'm talking about surprises, not the surprises themselves. But we're going to do three things that have the potential to... that will be novel. And if we don?t make sure that people understand what we?re doing, they could easily respond in a Left 4 Dead 2 kind of way. Like, "What the hell?" right? And we just need to be good about that.

There's a giant wall of text to read here.

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• Interview day 2: Valve on 13 things they've failed at

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Edit: PC Gamer will be releasing a new interview everyday for the next week. We'll keep you updated.

 

[Reflex]

Yay, more pointless TF2 updates that no-one wants or need.

 

[Eejit]

"No-one"? Speak for yourself. They're worth it for the maps alone.

 

[Ren.182]

I love the TF2 updates. Just wish I'd get a hat drop for once! Over 350 hours and not one single hat drop!

Only got hats from events, other games and one I crafted. I just want one to drop!

Good interview anyway

 

[Druckles]

I was on about 450 hours before I got my first hat drop. Fedora. Nothing since. Crafted a whiskered gentlemen, though. Any pyro hat but that

 

[Krynn72]

Confirmation that none of the surprises are a halflife game. Nobody would react in a "what the hell" way to such a surprise.

 

[Eejit]

I read that as "non of the surprises are a halflife gnome" Krynn.

What a relief!

 

[Asknoone]

I think they've made a great decision in utilising TF2 as an experimental arena. That's cool, and it's clearly paid off. I'm looking forward to the next wave of L4D content, too, if The Passing was any indication of where they're taking this.

 

[leib10]

Confirmation that none of the surprises are a halflife game. Nobody would react in a "what the hell" way to such a surprise.

Yep. What else is new, it seems as if Valve is moving in different directions, and HL is now relegated to its status as the annoying and inconvenient barrier between fan satisfaction and financial and developmental growth with new projects.

 

[Ren.182]

I think they've made a great decision in utilising TF2 as an experimental arena. That's cool, and it's clearly paid off. I'm looking forward to the next wave of L4D content, too, if The Passing was any indication of where they're taking this.

Yeah it's been great. It's win win too; we get free updates and lots of cool stuff to mess about with. They get lot's of money due to new players picking it up everytime there is a free weekend/massive update. No wonder Gabes smiling!

Looking forward to seeing what the new game mode will be and trade will be a nice addition.

Also looking forward to the series of comics they're bringing out for L4D and I'm really excited that they're bringing No Mercy and the original four characters to L4d2! I hope they bring over the other L4D1 campaigns too!

 

[Lobster]

It depends if the "What the hell!!" is a reaction to Half-Life switching to a cell-shaded RPG or not. =D (kidding ofc, but you know, it would be a wtf moment)

I just like being a valve fan, it is important to me that games have a future, TF2 is 3 years old, it is three times the size it was at release, and yet I know more will be added still, it just feels alive compared to games that come out and feel dead and forgotten within 3 months.

 

[Krynn72]

If you decide to tune out signal just because there’s a lot of noise, then you’re missing a tremendous amount of opportunity to do well by your customers.

I liked this quote a lot. Not many companies even think about it.

 

[StarBob]

Why does every picture of Gabe's face now make me laugh?

 

[Avoidist]

I liked this quote a lot. Not many companies even think about it.

It's a good quote, but the problem is you can't take the Fourier transform of people's opinions. You have to be prepared to deal with all the noise, so it's understandable when some game companies tune out to some extent.

 

[spooky]

It's more likely we'll see Duke Nukem before Half Life Episode 3.

 

[Asknoone]

Why are you winking. Yes, there's a reason I have neglected to include a question mark.

 

[ramsfan]

If it matters, he did mention Half-life 3: balbhablblahb and not Half-life 2: balbhablhb. If there was no half-life 3 coming out im pretty sure he woulda made a joke about half-life 2 instead of half-life 3.

 

[Shakermaker]

The second interview has been published as well: Valve on 13 things they’ve failed at.

 

[ríomhaire]

"Moss, in the original Half-Life 1 (They once said moss would grow in real-time in Half-Life)"
"It was a weird prototype game that had spells and was based on movement and mouse gestures."
"It was like this action, fantasy thing."

When did Valve hire Peter Molyneux?

 

[dogboy73]

Anyone else think Gabe Newell looks like Robin Williams on steroids?

 

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Interview day 2: Valve on 13 things they've failed at (click)

 

[Avoidist]

In the off chance you haven't been looking, there's a grand total of 6 up now.

Tomorrow: $10 on "We're not talking about Episode 3".

 

[Doomination]

Gabe said "we're announcing Half-Life 3" !!!

I love quoting out of context

 

[Anddos]

Its offical , gabe talks like a robot

 

[rjthrog]

Sorry to bring up an age old thread but does anyone know what or when the next "suprise" will be announced, or have all the suprises been the pre portal release info?

 

[Darkside55]

We all know when the next surprise will be announced, and we all know what it is. Except you. And no one is going to tell you because you necroposted.

 

[Escaep]

I thought this was a new interview

 

[DEATHMASTER]

Same. Oh well, another is bound to come up sooner or later.

 

[rjthrog]

We all know when the next surprise will be announced, and we all know what it is. Except you. And no one is going to tell you because you necroposted.

I have no clue what necroposted means. But thanks for no sarcasm at all.

 

[Krynn72]

I have no clue what necroposted means. But thanks for no sarcasm at all.

He's saying you have sex with corpses, which is why nobody will tell you what/when the next surprise is.