Dutch yard Oceanco, one of the world’s leading custom yacht builders, has been sold to gaming developer tech entrepreneur, Gabe Newell.
Oceanco has been under the stewardship of the Barwani family for the past 15 years delivering iconic superyachts including Kaos, Bravo Eugenia, Black Pearl and Koru.
The Barwani family will remain active in the yachting sector through their continued ownership of Turkish custom yacht builder, Turquoise Yachts.
Newell cofounded Valve Corporation, a video game and digital technology development company. According to Forbes, Gabe Newell has an estimated net worth of USD $9.5 billion, placing him 322nd among the world’s wealthiest individuals.
A statement on Oceanco’s website reads: ‘This isn’t about decks and PowerPoints. Gabe’s interest in Oceanco comes from somewhere else entirely, more personal. A lifelong fascination with the sea…
‘Gabe spent his life building companies that don’t exactly follow the script. Valve was never about market domination or quarterly wins, it was about giving smart people the space to build weird, wonderful things that changed how people play.
That same spirit draws him to Oceanco. His first decision? Leave the team alone. Seriously. Oceanco has vision and integrity, and a culture that actually works. Gabe doesn’t want to fix it, he wants to fuel it.
‘Gabe sees the world as full of crossovers. What happens when you let yachtbuilders talk to worldbuilders? When craftsmen get access to tech usually reserved for game devs and mad scientists? You get innovation that doesn’t just look good. It feels good.’
Oceanco was founded in 1987 as a private company, operating out of Alblasserdam, in the Netherlands.
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