Is Oceanco owner and video game billionaire Gabe Newell feeling seasick? That’s the first thought that sprang to mind when I learned that the Valve billionaire, worth $11 billion, has bought a splendid $70.8 million waterfront estate in Manalapan, Florida. This is a man who has been living only on his superyachts, first the $250 million Tranquility, then the $500 million Leviathan, for the better part of the last six years. It does come as a surprising piece of news that, after literally attaching his entire routine to life at sea, the 63-year-old may be up for a change of scenery.
Well, not entirely, as the 2.06-acre property, originally listed for $85 million, spans from the ocean to the Intracoastal Waterway, with a tunnel connecting the house to the ocean, shared The Wall Street Journal. So he is still very much connected to the water, but will now find some solid grounding in the massive 20,000-square-foot residence.
The mansion, with its very own tunnel linking the waterfront estate to the ocean via the beach, also boasts features like an outdoor pool, a dock, and a boat lift. No, the latter won’t come in handy for the 364-foot superyacht Leviathan, but it could hold tenders and day boats that ferry the billionaire to his megayacht instead.
Inside, the home, with seven bedrooms and thirteen bathrooms, looks like an eclectic mix of tastes and treatments. There is a pop of color in every room, from the living area to the dining room, breaking up the elegance of the brown and gold hues used abundantly throughout. The luxe and the lively come together to create a playful milieu that would suit someone like Gabe Newell, who likes to have fun so much that he doesn’t mind sleeping late simply because ‘it is fun for him.’
Vibrant and visually dramatic, the abode features an eight-car garage, an outdoor pool with Intracoastal views, a wine cellar, a dedicated wellness wing, guest quarters, and an elevator. The team of Tom Benedict of the Benedict Group, RWB Construction Management, and interiors by Marc-Michaels Interior Design have turned the property into a classy haven, a far cry from Manalapan’s Vanderbilt-era origins and Mediterranean vibe.
With this new real estate addition, the man who lived on a boat and followed a routine like clockwork may finally take a breather and walk on the soft sand instead. Perhaps the billionaire can now tweak his statement, “I get up, I work, I go scuba diving, work some more. I either go on a second scuba dive or I go to the gym and work out. Then I work. I live on a boat, so I just hang out with everybody on the boat.” This Manalapan property may even stir a touch of nostalgia, taking him back to the days of bicycling around town and delivering summer telegrams, only now with the Atlantic in sight and luxury at every turn.
