Valve chief Gabe Newell worried about effects of Trump travel ban

Valve co-founder Gabe Newell has condemned President Trump's now suspended travel ban, explaining many studio employees would be unable to go home if the executive order was reinstated.

Speaking to a number of media outlets, including Gamasutra, Newell revealed some Valve employees wouldn't be able to return to their home country if the ban was back in-place, because they'd ultimately be stopped from returning to the United States. 

"We have people who work at Valve who can’t go home. They've been here for years. They pay taxes. They cheer for New England in the Super Bowl and we try to not hold that against them," said the Valve boss. 

"They can’t leave the country. So, if there's some event outside the country and for the first time we say 'Wait, they can’t go because they can’t get back.' That's a problem, not just these hypothetical future employees, but actual Valve employees. Yeah, that's a concern for us."

The Valve boss also suggested the ban could impact the world of eSports, as players might struggle to get visas to compete in tournaments held in the States. 

"If you're an opera singer, it's pretty easy to get a visa. The State Department understands who these people are. If you're a Nobel Prize winner, they kind of know who you are," he continued, explaining that even the highest profile eSports stars simply don't have the sort of global recognition enjoyed by members of other communities and industries.

Of course, Newell isn't the first high profile member of the games industry to decry Trump's ban. Back in January, Ratchet & Clank creator Insomniac called it 'deplorable,' while EA CEO Andrew Wilson slammed the move, saying diversity and inclusion are central to the publisher's values. 

Just this week, Unity looked to counter the ban by paying for 50 affected developers to fly to its Unite conference in Amsterdam, and promised to match any charitable donations made by its employs up to the value of $1000.