Though the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to take its toll on nearly every country, New Zealand has remained relatively unscathed, with fewer than 2,000 cases and 25 deaths. Among the current inhabitants of the island nation enjoying restriction-free life, there is the billionaire co-founder and president of Valve, Gabe Newell. In an open discussion with The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley and Xbox head Phil Spencer, Newell outlined his plans to meet with recently re-elected Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern over the potential to move developers to the Oceanic country.
The conversation has been subjected to many restrictions, effectively preventing it from being recorded. However, Valve News Network (VNN) was given permission to “paraphrase transcribed quotes from Gabe Newell himself.” Newell, who has been holed up in New Zealand since March, is now considered a tax resident of New Zealand due to his stay having exceeded the threshold of 183 days. As a result, he has begun to consider moving his economic interests to the Pacific country.
“I’m probably going to be meeting with the Prime Minister,” Newell said, “and one of the positions I’m going to be arguing for is that, given there is something super valuable that has been created here in New Zealand due to the hard work of the population of New Zealand, there is likely a large want to temporarily relocate production teams into the country.” Newell cited reduced productivity stemming from working from home as the primary reason behind the idea.
Among other things brought up in the discussion, Newel touched upon the potential of VR. Though Valve released its premiere VR title Half-Life: Alyx earlier this year, the platform has stagnated in the past few months. However, this has not stopped Newell from regarding the format as a potential game-changer, with him highlighting the potential VR has to exceed the visual fidelity of a traditional monitor. Newell also criticized Facebook for its strategy regarding VR, namely bricking Oculus Quest 2 headsets if the attached account is not up to Facebook’s standards.
Most of Valve’s portfolio is struggling under the current weight of the pandemic. While Dota 2’s The International 2020 has broken the esports prize pool record, it is likely that it will only happen come 2021 following its pandemic-related delay. Several CS:GO majors have also been cancelled, particularly those held in Brazil which has been hit heavily by COVID-19 with more than 5 million cases and 150,000 deaths.
New Zealand is a prime location for relocation with the country being safe from the pandemic and English-speaking. Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Party won the 2020 general election in a landslide victory, with the 40-year-old Prime Minister having been praised for her government’s handling of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The island nation is currently at Alert Level 1, enforcing testing and quarantine, but with no restrictions on personal movement or gathering. This would allow for Valve to operate at full capacity, with workplaces being fully open (albeit requiring safe operation).
