Oceanco’s new owner Gabe Newell outlined his new role during the Monaco Yacht Show, and revealed his vision for the future development of the company.
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American video game developer and businessman Gabe Newell, who acquired Dutch superyacht builder Oceanco in August 2025, has outlined his perspective on Oceanco’s future and his role within the organisation at the 2025 Monaco Yacht Show.
Newell is known as the founder of Valve Corporation. His involvement with Oceanco began as a client during the design and construction of the 111m yacht Leviathan, launched in August 2025. That experience led to closer collaboration with the firm, and eventually a role in ownership.
“When you’re building a yacht with Oceanco, it’s a very collaborative and enjoyable process – they make you feel like you are part of the team,” Newell says. “I started to have conversations with Marcel and his team, and with Dr. Barwani, about whether I could help move the organisation forward if I took a more direct role in ownership.”
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Newell stresses that he is not positioning himself purely as an investor but as part of the team. He indicates there are no immediate changes planned, with Oceanco’s strategy and priorities continuing as before.
“Initially, my involvement is just about supporting the things the organisation already knew it wanted to do,” he says.
Oceanco recently acquired system integrator Alewijnse, which now joins Oceanco, Lateral, Mercury and Aluship within the Oceanco Group. Newell describes the acquisition as part of a broader focus on expansion that creates opportunities for collaboration across different industries.
Looking further ahead, Newell pointed to his background in technology development as a potential contribution to Oceanco. “Just about everything I’ve been involved in over the years has moved some aspect of technology forward in a way that benefits customers,” he says.
“Over time, we will start to identify interesting technologies, prototype them and move them into production. But for now, there’s important work to do simply supporting what Oceanco already does brilliantly.”
Speaking as both a shareholder and client, Newell also describes how he views the company’s identity. “We are a customer-focused yacht builder,” he says. He adds that his long-term aim is to support projects that build on Leviathan’s achievements, including further developments in crew-centric design.
“What gets me out of bed in the morning is doing work that communities value,” Newell says. “I care enormously about being someone who can add value to the yachting community, so entering this world is both exciting and a little nerve-wracking. At this stage, I feel very much part of the team and see how we can be a force for good in the industry.”
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