Valve's Gabe Newell to be inducted into AIAS Hall of Fame, give DICE keynote

Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve Software, will become the 17th inductee into the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' Hall of Fame at the 2013 DICE Summit, the AIAS announced today.

Newell will also give the keynote speech at the summit's Thursday conference.

"Gabe's vision for the interactive industry has created lasting effects that have completely reshaped this generation's digital distribution model, paving the way for independent developers and creating an invaluable service for consumers," said AIAS president Martin Rae. "It is a great honor to have Gabe inducted into the Academy's Hall of Fame."

Epic Games president Dr. Michael Capps will present the 2013 Hall of Fame Award to Newell during the DICE Awards, formerly known as the Interactive Achievement Awards. "Gabe is a living legend of the video games industry, and his relentless focus on customer experience has made our whole industry a better place," said Capps.

Previous Hall of Fame inductees include Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney (2011) and BioWare co-founders Dr. Greg Zeschuk and Dr. Ray Muzyka (2010). The DICE Awards will be held on Feb. 7, 2013.

Newell co-founded Valve Software in 1996 after a 13-year tenure at Microsoft, which included work on the first two versions of Windows. Valve is renowned for its beloved franchises such as Half-Life, Counter-Strike and Portal; its unique management structure; and its ubiquitous digital distribution platform, Steam.