Founder of Steam firm will be added to retro-styled dungeon crawler Crawl as a knife-wielding foe

Valve approves Gabe Newell boss for indie game

An indie developer will add a pixelated cartoon version of Valve founder Gabe Newell to its game as a boss character – and Valve is fine with it.

Australian dev Powerhoof showed off a boss based on Gabe Newell as a proposed enemy for its dungeon-crawling action game Crawl earlier this month, according to Polygon

The animated demo shows a calm version of Newell running around and punching the player character, before transforming into a more shaggy-haired, bearded form wielding two daggers.

As the animated image drew attention, the game’s artist Barny Cumming asked for Valve’s permission to add the character to the game.

Valve approved, with Powerhoof tweeting that it had received a “short, sweet email from Valve giving the go ahead for this silly thing. Turns out Valve are cool. Who knew?”

The studio has promised the knife-wielding, hero-crushing Gabe Newell will be added to Crawl via a new update “very soon”.

For all the news straight to your inbox, sign up to the Develop Daily.

About MCV Staff

Check Also

good game [Industry news] Dubai Films & Games Commission and Good Game Club podcast partnership to redefine games as a force for good

[Industry news] Dubai Films & Games Commission and Good Game Club podcast partnership to redefine games as a force for good

The Dubai Films & Games Commission is stepping up its ambition to build a games industry defined by positive impact by announcing a strategic headline partnership with the Good Game Club podcast at GamesBeat Summit 2026 in Los Angeles. The partnership positions the Dubai Films & Games Commission at the centre of a growing global movement around the positive cultural, economic and societal impact of video games, joining Good Game Club’s existing founding partner Tencent.