The internet exploded when the Valve employee handbook leaked online several weeks back, pulling back the curtain on the enigmatic development house and how it operates. Chief amongst the revelations was how the organisation operates: flat management is key to the studio’s success, effectively placing each employee on an even keel without a need for managers and supervisors. However, ex-Valve employee and Portal co-creator Kim Swift, who worked at Valve after graduating from DigiPen Institute of Technology, remembers it quite differently.
“I’d say that there’s a lot more freedom then a lot of companies, but there’s a definitely a hierarchy,” Swift tells games™. “Gabe Newell is at the top as the CEO, there’s a board of directors who make all the big decisions and there’s a project lead for every team making sure things stay organised and on track. I think if there’s no structure at all a company wouldn’t do very well.”
Nevertheless, Swift is quick to acknowledge that Valve’s is a relatively open environment – so much so that when development of Portal 2 began, she was allowed to switch to a completely different project just because she wanted to. “Valve had a clear idea of where they wanted to go with Portal at the time that I didn’t necessarily agree with,” she reveals. “I worked on Portal 2 for about three months and I then left the team to work on Left 4 Dead.”
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Swift’s full interview can be found in issue 123 of games™, discussing her entire career and new game Quantum Conundrum. The article is part of a wider piece celebrating every aspect of Valve development including every piece of info on the rumoured Steam Console.
games™ 123 is out in all good newsagents now. Readers can also subscribe to games™ either in print or digitally and don’t forget to follow @gamesTMmag on Twitter.
Further Reading
- Kim Swift: “I remember people talking about Valve hardware when I was still there”
- “When we announce Half-Life 3, we’ll do it our own way” says Valve
- games™ Issue 123
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