An enormous £300million superyacht owned by an American video game tycoon has shored on the English coast before crossing the Atlantic.
The vast 364ft vessel, named Leviathan, was built at a cost of more than £300million for its owner, Gabe Newell, the gaming mogul behind some of the world’s biggest PC titles.
Newell, estimated by Forbes to be worth around $11billion, has led Valve Corporation since co-founding the company in 1998 with former Microsoft colleague Mike Harrington.
Work on Leviathan began in 2020 and finished earlier this year, with the yacht completing sea trials in August before departing Dutch shipbuilders Oceanco, a yard Newell is also understood to own, for delivery.
Registered in the Cayman Islands, the superyacht made a brief stop in Poole Harbour, Dorset, en route to its transatlantic crossing.
On board, the scale is staggering. Leviathan houses 11 guest suites for up to 26 people, supported by a 37-strong crew, with a dining hall capable of seating 54 on the main deck.
The vast 364ft vessel, named Leviathan, was built at a cost of more than £300million and made a brief stop at Poole Harbour
Work on Leviathan began in 2020 and finished earlier this year, with the yacht completing sea trials in August
Gabe Newell estimated by Forbes to be worth around $11billion, has led Valve Corporation since co-founding the company in 1998
True to Newell’s gaming roots, a dedicated lounge offers 15 gaming stations and two racing simulators, while further amenities include a gym, spa, sauna, jacuzzi and even a basketball court.
Conference facilities allow the vessel to double as a floating HQ when needed.
Powered by a hybrid diesel-electric system, the 5,000-tonne yacht reaches speeds of up to 17 knots, fittingly for one of tech’s most influential billionaires.
The tycoon spoke of his work alongside Oceanco, describing it as ‘incredibly enjoyable and a lot of fun’ with a ‘creative and dynamic’ team, according to Boat International.
He added: ‘We knew we were asking for unusual things, and Oceanco embraced it with open arms.
‘Not only have we designed a very unusual yacht that leans into Oceanco’s strengths of innovation and design, but the team has also been willing to collaborate with us on evolving the process.’
This not the first yacht the billionare has bought, as in 2014 it was reported by Malasyan newspaper that the tycoon bought a vessel with a capacity for 26 guests and a crew of 28 and named Draak, after the word ‘dragon’ and reflects its ‘bold and commanding presence’.
Under Newell’s leadership, his company Valve produced games such as Half-Life, first-person shooting video game before reshaping the industry altogether with Steam, an application selling games online.
In 2019, Steam surpassed one billion accounts and continues to break active-user records, revenue that Forbes believes Newell shares at least half of, with Valve still privately held and based in Bellevue, Washington.
