Valve: PS3 'Incredibly Important' To Studio

A few years ago, Valve Software head Gabe Newell categorized PlayStation 3 as a "total disaster," but now a project manager with the studio has reaffirmed newfound commitment to the console and its fans. "PS3 is incredibly important to us," said Valve's Erik Johnson in a CVG interview at Gamescom this week. "We don't feel that the PS3 users had the Valve experience that we like to deliver. So in that case it's incredibly important to us." Johnson likely refers to the PS3 version of The Orange Box, which included Half-Life 2, its episodes, Portal and the online shooter Team Fortress 2, which Valve didn't support after launch due to an apparent lack of in-house resources. An external team at publisher Electronic Arts handled the PS3 port of the software package. Valve has expressed in the past that it preferred to work with the more straightforward technology found on PCs and Xbox 360, rather than the previously less-familiar PS3 hardware. In a 2007 Game Informer interview, Newell said, "I'd say, even at this late date, [Sony] should just cancel [PS3] and do a 'do over.'" It's a comment that he's had to live down since. Newell expressed guilt about his company's approach to PS3 in 2009, and made amends with Sony and PS3 fans at E3 in June this year, making a surprise appearance on stage during Sony's press conference, where he announced Portal 2 for PS3, as well as Steamworks for the console. He added that it will be the best console version of the game, which is also coming to PC, Mac and Xbox 360.