{{Article|rw|safe}}
{{Company Infobox
|name = {{PAGENAME}}
|logo = FileValve.svg|right|250px
|type = WikipediaPrivately held company|Private
|industry = WikipediaComputer software|Computer software WikipediaVideo game industry|Interactive entertainment
|genre =
|fate =
|predecessor =
|successor =
|foundation = WikipediaKirkland, Washington|Kirkland, Washington, WikipediaUnited States|USA (1996)
|founder = Gabe Newell Mike Harrington
|defunct =
|location = WikipediaBellevue, Washington|Bellevue, Washington, USA
|locations =
|area_served = Worldwide
|key_people =
|products = Half-Life and Portal universe|''Half-Life'' series wccounterstrikeCounter-Strike|''Counter-Strike'' series WikipediaDay of Defeat|''Day of Defeat'' series http//wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/Main_Page ''Team Fortress'' series Half-Life and Portal universe|''Portal'' series wcleft4deadLeft 4 Dead|''Left 4 Dead'' series Source WikipediaSteam (software)|Steam WikipediaValve Anti-Cheat|Valve Anti-Cheat
|services =
|revenue =
|operating_income =
|net_income =
|aum =
|assets =
|equity =
|owner =
|num_employees = 225 (2010){{cite web |url=http//gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2010/03/29/valve-studio-tour.aspx|title=Valve Studio Tour|publisher=Gameinformer.com |accessdate=2010-03-30}}
|parent =
|divisions =
|subsid =
|homepage = http//www.valvesoftware.com/ ValveSoftware.com
}}
'''Valve Corporation''' is an American video game and digital distribution developer based in WikipediaBellevue, Washington|Bellevue, Washington.http//www.valvesoftware.com/about.html About Valve on ValveSoftware.com Their first game, ''Half-Life'', was highly acclaimed and since they have gone on to develop more franchises, including wcleft4deadMain Page|''Left 4 Dead'' and http//wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/Main_Page ''Team Fortress'', as well as ''Portal'', all of which are first-person shooters.
Valve also developed the popular WikipediaSteam (software)|Steam content delivery client, which is now the market leader with, as of December 2012, over 2000 games available, 54 milion active user accounts, and with 70% of the market share.http//www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=26158 Stardock Reveals Impulse, Steam Market Share Estimates Valve releases all of their games via Steam.
==History==
FileValve head2.png|The Mr. Valve logo used from 1998 (''Half-Life'') to 2005 (Xbox version of ''Half-Life 2'').|thumb|left|200px
Valve was founded on August 24, 1996{{cite web|url=http//storefront.steampowered.com/Steam/Marketing/message/1171/|title=Steam Message}} "... it was exactly eleven years ago that Valve was born."{{cite web|url=http//www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2005/d2005-0038.html|title=Valve Corporation v. ValveNET, Inc., ValveNET, Inc., Charles Morrin Case No. D2005-0038}} WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center. by two former WikipediaMicrosoft|Microsoft employees, Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington. They originally started out as an WikipediaLimited liability company|L.L.C. company based in WikipediaKirkland, Washington|Kirkland, Washington, however, after incorporation in 2003, Valve moved from Kirkland to WikipediaBellevue, Washington|Bellevue.
Following the success of ''Half-Life'', the Valve team expanded their portfolio, creating mods, spin-offs, and sequels. Valve has accumulated rights to at least six different series which include ''Half-Life and Portal universe|Half-Life'', ''WikipediaTeam Fortress|Team Fortress'', ''Portal'', ''WikipediaCounter-Strike|Counter-Strike'', ''WikipediaLeft 4 Dead|Left 4 Dead'' and ''WikipediaDay of Defeat|Day of Defeat''. Valve is most noted for its support of the modding community. In fact, its games ''Counter-Strike'', ''Team Fortress'', and ''Day of Defeat'', all started out as third-party mods before becoming full-fledged games. Valve distributes some community mods on their content delivery system, WikipediaSteam (software)|Steam.
==Products and franchises==
===''Half-Life'' series===
FileValve c. 1998.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Picture of the ''Half-Life'' team around 1998, from the Sierra Studios E3 1998 Press Kit. (Other versions FileValve c. 1998 (PICTURE7).png|1, FileValve c. 1998 (PICTURE).jpg|2)
FileGordon HL1 promo.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''Half-Life'' box art.
FileOffices blueprint.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Possible blueprint from offices at Valve featured in the background images of the ''Half-Life'' instruction manual, presented like a Black Mesa Research Facility|BMRF blueprint.
{{main|Half-Life and Portal universe}}
Valve began working on the first game of the ''Half-Life'' series soon after the company's formation, and settled on a concept for a horror-themed 3D action game, using the WikipediaQuake engine|''Quake'' engine as licensed by Wikipediaid Software|id Software. ''Half-Life'' was a hit at the 1997 WikipediaElectronic Entertainment Expo|E3 convention, where its animation system and artificial intelligence were demonstrated. The game's success led to its first expansion pack, ''Half-Life Opposing Force'', which was developed by Gearbox Software, a company based in WikipediaPlano, Texas|Plano, Texas. Randy Pitchford, founder of Gearbox, said in an interview that he believed Valve gave them the opportunity to produce a sequel to ''Half-Life'' to allow Valve to focus on future titles. The game was demonstrated at the 1999 E3 convention, where new locations, characters, and the storyline were revealed.
On November 16, 2004,http//store.steampowered.com/app/220/ ''Half-Life 2'' on WikipediaSteam (software)|Steam ''Half-Life 2'', the sequel to the original game, was released. Following its release, the series was continued using a trilogy of episodic games. ''Half-Life 2 Episode One'' was the first of these, set around City 17 after the events of the original game, in which Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance must attempt to escape the city after a Dark Energy Fusion Reactor|dark energy reactor core they damaged at the end of ''Half-Life 2'' threatens to destroy the city. It was released on June 1, 2006,http//store.steampowered.com/app/380/ ''Half-Life 2 Episode One'' on WikipediaSteam (software)|Steam and introduced several new graphical effects including new lighting features and facial animation.
The second episodic game, ''Half-Life 2 Episode Two'', was released on October 10, 2007,http//store.steampowered.com/app/420/ ''Half-Life 2 Episode Two'' on WikipediaSteam (software)|Steam and continues the story soon after where ''Episode One'' ended. This episode focuses on expansive environments, travel, and less linear play. It was released in ''The Orange Box'' along with ''Half-Life 2'', ''Episode One'', ''Portal'', and ''WikipediaTeam Fortress 2|Team Fortress 2''.
''Half-Life 2 Episode Three'' is slated to be the third and final installment of the episodic expansions.http//www.gamespot.com/pc/action/halflife2aftermath/news.html?sid=6151796 Half-Life 2 Episode One gold, Two dated, Three announced on GameSpot The game has, presumably, been in development since some time in 2008, since concept art surfaced in July of that year.http//www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/53545 First Half-Life 2 Episode Three Concept Art Revealed on Shacknews. However, besides passing comments when pressed in interviews, very little is known about the game.
===''Portal'' series===
FileAperture Labs entrance.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Aperture Science Enrichment Center entrance.
{{main|Half-Life and Portal universe / Portal 2 story arc}}
''Portal'' is Valve's professionally-developed spiritual successor to the freeware game project ''Narbacular Drop'', the 2005 independent game released by students of WikipediaDigiPen Institute of Technology|DigiPen, who are now all employed at Valve.{{cite web |url=http//www.nuclearmonkeysoftware.com/news.html?46 |title=Things are heating up! |publisher=Narbacular Drop official site |date=2006-07-17 |accessdate=2006-07-21 }}http//web.archive.org/web/20080214080409/http//www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200608/N06.0825.1923.12789.htm Valve’s Doug Lombardi Talks Half-Life 2 Happenings on GameInformer.com Released on October 10, 2007,http//store.steampowered.com/app/400/ the game was only available as part of ''The Orange Box'', however after its success it is now available separately on Steam. The game follows Chell, a test subject in the Aperture Science Enrichment Center, who must use the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device|Handheld Portal Device to navigate through nineteen Aperture Laboratories Chambers|Test Chambers, all the while being guided by a sinister AI who offers "consoling" advice.
On March 1, 2010, Portal was updated to tie in with an Portal ARG|alternate reality game, which was eventually revealed to be promoting a full sequel, ''Portal 2''. ''Portal 2'' was officially announced on March 5, 2010http//store.steampowered.com/news/3559/ Portal 2 Announced and was confirmed to be a full-priced standalone game, taking place in an unknown area of Aperture Science Enrichment Center.
===Steam===
Valve announced its WikipediaSteam (software)|Steam content delivery system in 2002. At the time, it looked to be a method of streamlining the patch process common in online computer games. Steam was later revealed as a replacement for much of the dated framework of WikipediaWorld Opponent Network|WON and ''Half-Life'' multiplayer and also as a distribution system for entire games since 2005. It was released on September 12, 2003.http//store.steampowered.com/news/183/ Steam Client Released
As part of Steam, Valve developed the Valve Anti-Cheat system, an anti-cheat solution that prevented players from changing the game code to gain an advantage over other players. It is now implemented as a part of Steamworks, a publishing suite that gives developers access to every component of Steam.https//partner.steamgames.com/documentation/api Steamworks partner site
==Gallery==
FileValve_c._1998_(PICTURE).jpg|An "in-game" version of the ''Half-Life'' team photograph.
FileHalf-Life Beta conback.png|Valve logo on the early ''Half-Life'' console background.
FileGeneric60.png|A ''Half-Life'' texture containing a reference to Valve Corporation.
FileGeneric61.png|Ditto.
FileValve head home.png|The Mr. Valve logo used since 2007 (''Episode Two'').
==References==
{{Reflist|50em}}
==External links==
*http//valvesoftware.com Official website
*FileFb icon.png http//facebook.com/Valve Valve on Facebook
*FileG+.png http//plus.google.com/109939756516951661656 Valve on Google+
*FileSteampowered favicon.png http//steamcommunity.com/id/valve_artists/images Valve Artists at the Steam Community
*{{YouTube|8gxFaGKHbEY|Valve Software Ep 1 All Your History}}
*{{Wikipedia|url=Valve_Corporation|text=Valve Corporation}}
{{RW}}
CategoryGame developers
