Gabe Newell is coming off an epic week. His company Valve, which operates the popular Steam platform for buying and playing PC games, announced three new pieces of hardware last Wednesday, including a compact gaming PC, a controller, and a VR headset. And that same day, Newell also finally received his long-awaited $500 million superyacht, called Leviathan.
Leviathan was built by Oceanco, a Dutch shipyard Newell purchased in August for an undisclosed sum after working closely with the company on building and designing his yacht.
Newell, Valve’s 62-year-old cofounder and president whose net worth is around $11 billion, has a penchant for the ocean: In a recent interview with a YouTuber who has fewer than 2,000 subscribers, he said he loves to “get up, work, [and] go scuba diving.” In addition, he already owns a few superyachts and a small fleet of sea-faring vehicles through his marine research organization, Inkfish.
One of Newell’s research vessels, the Limiting Factor, holds records for the deepest crewed dives in all five of the world’s oceans. He’s also currently building another 100-meter research vessel estimated to cost around $300 million.
Inside Leviathan
Newell’s latest treasure, is the culmination of what Oceanco project director Deniz de Koningh called “a new philosophy of yachting — one that places greater purpose at the heart of design, ownership and operations.” The Leviathan stretches 364 feet in length with a beam of 58 feet, making it the 50th largest yacht in the world and Oceanco’s largest delivery by volume. The superyacht accommodates up to 26 guests and 37 crew members.
Its most distinctive features, though, reflect Newell’s dual interests in marine research and gaming. The lower decks include a submarine garage, a dive center, and a full laboratory, as well as an onboard hospital with a live-in nurse and a 3D printing workshop.
“The goal was to consider where the most valuable experiences occur for the community of people onboard,” Newell said in a statement to The World of Yachts. “By increasing crew productivity, we enable them to focus on creating meaningful experiences for everyone.”
The bridge deck, meanwhile, houses a gaming lounge with 15 high-performance gaming stations and two racing simulators. Additional amenities include two gyms, a 250-square-meter beach club with spa and bar, diving platforms, and a basketball court.
Oceanco CEO Marcel Onkenhout said Leviathan is “the most comfortable yacht ever designed, built, and delivered” by the company. The ship’s captain, Alan Pike, added that the vessel is “remarkably quiet” with “extraordinary” low noise and vibration levels—even at full speed.
The yacht boasts a diesel-electric propulsion system paired with battery storage that allows for extended periods of silent, emission-free operation. The yacht also has an advanced wastewater treatment system, a waste-heat recovery system to address environmental concerns, and a a whopping 280 miles of cabling, to power systems from air conditioning and satellites to medical equipment.
“Working with the team at Oceanco is incredibly enjoyable and a lot of fun; everybody is professional, creative and dynamic,” Newell said in a statement. “We knew we were asking for unusual things, and Oceanco embraced it with open arms.”
Newell acquired Oceanco from Mohammed Al Barwani, the billionaire Omani businessman who had owned the shipyard for 15 years. Oceanco described Newell as “a hands-on visionary who respects the sea, the craft, and above all, the people who make it possible.” The project involved more than 2,000 people whose names are engraved on a glass panel in the main staircase.
You can learn more about Leviathan on Oceanco’s website, and you can get a glimpse of the ship in this teaser from the company, embedded below.
