Inside Gabe Newell’s $500 Million Superyacht Leviathan: Submarine Garage, Onboard Hospital, and 15 Gaming PCs

Published November 18, 2025

Valve co-founder Gabe Newell has officially entered a new era of billionaire extravagance at sea. Over the past week, the 111‑metre (364‑foot) superyacht Leviathan has gone from industry curiosity to full‑blown headline magnet, and today fresh coverage is spilling across both gaming and luxury media as more details about the $500 million vessel emerge. ^[1]

Newell’s latest toy is far more than a floating mansion. Built by Dutch yard Oceanco—which he now owns—Leviathan is designed as a hybrid of private resort, high‑end gaming lounge, and fully fledged marine research platform for his organization Inkfish. ^[2]

What’s new today: Leviathan dominates tech, gaming, and lifestyle headlines

On November 18, 2025, Australian outlet Boss Hunting published one of the most detailed lifestyle takes so far, describing Leviathan as the ultimate proof that “gaming money hits different” and confirming key specs: a price tag of around $500 million, a length of 111 meters, and a build by Oceanco, which Newell bought earlier this year from Omani billionaire Mohammed Al Barwani. ^[3]

At the same time, mainstream entertainment and men’s lifestyle coverage is tying the yacht directly to Steam Machine Week, Valve’s ongoing hardware push. A now‑widely‑syndicated feature from Men’s Journal and Yahoo frames Leviathan’s delivery as the spectacular finale to a week that also showcased Valve’s new Steam Machine console and related hardware. ^[4]

On the gaming side, Wccftech has connected the dots between Leviathan and Steam’s financial dominance. New data from Alinea Analytics suggests Steam has already generated $16.2 billion in sales in 2025, up about 5.7% from last year—a surge that helps explain how Newell can casually commission a half‑billion‑dollar vessel and simultaneously bankroll a deep‑sea research fleet. ^[5]

All of this builds on yesterday’s GameSpot feature and this week’s wave of PC‑gaming coverage that zeroed in on the yacht’s wildest features: a submarine garage, an onboard hospital, and a LAN lounge with 15 gaming PCs. ^[6]

How we got here: from stealthy sea trials to global reveal

The story of Leviathan didn’t start this week. Dutch yard Oceanco first launched the hull—then known only as project Y722—earlier this year, before the yacht undertook sea trials off the Dutch coast. ^[7]

On November 12, yachting outlet Boat International confirmed that Leviathan had been delivered to Newell following successful trials near Stellendam, and described her as the “most comfortable yacht” Oceanco has ever designed and built. The piece also revealed key technical partners: naval architecture by Oceanco and Lateral Naval Architects, exterior design by Oceanco, and interiors by Mark Berryman Design. ^[8]

Oceanco’s own press communications reinforced that Leviathan is meant to “reimagine yachting through people, performance and purpose,” positioning the yacht as the flagship of a new philosophy that blends owner comfort, crew wellbeing, and scientific utility. ^[9]

Leviathan by the numbers: size, power, and sustainability

Across the various yachting reports, a consistent picture of Leviathan’s core specs emerges: ^[10]

Length: 111 m / 364 ft
Beam: roughly 17.8 m / 58 ft
Type: diesel‑electric / hybrid‑electric superyacht
Builder: Oceanco (Netherlands)
Internal volume: among the largest ever built by Oceanco, and roughly the third‑largest vessel in the shipyard’s fleet after Jeff Bezos’ sailing yacht Koru and the 117‑m Infinity
Capacity: around 22–26 guests and 33–37 crew, depending on source and configuration

From a technical standpoint, Leviathan leans heavily into efficiency and low noise. According to both Oceanco and several yacht‑industry write‑ups, the yacht’s diesel‑electric powertrain is paired with a large battery energy storage system that allows significant periods of quiet, low‑emission operation—crucial for both comfort and sensitive scientific work. ^[11]

Environmental systems get similar attention. Reports highlight advanced wastewater treatment, waste‑heat recovery and a materials palette designed to cut down on repetitive maintenance: classic teak decks and wooden handrails are replaced with composite alternatives and extensive glass, while durable finishes like honed stone and natural wool carpets aim to reduce wear‑and‑tear without sacrificing aesthetics. ^[12]

Inside Leviathan: where a spa, a lab, and a LAN party share the same deck

If the hull and engines are relatively conservative, the interior layout is not. Multiple outlets—from PC Gamer to yacht‑industry titles—describe Leviathan as a “convention‑defying” yacht designed around collaboration, shared spaces, and scientific use. ^[13]

A full‑blown gaming hub at sea

The most headline‑grabbing amenity is the gaming lounge on the bridge deck. According to Boat International, GameSpot, and others, this space includes: ^[14]

Around 15 high‑end gaming PCs / “workstations”
At least two racing simulators
Large relaxation areas designed for spectators and off‑duty crew

In other words, it’s a purpose‑built LAN party room in the middle of the ocean—a detail that gaming press and social media have seized on with predictable delight.

A beach club turned research hub

Where many giga‑yachts place a pure leisure‑oriented beach club, Leviathan swaps hedonism for hardware. In the aft lower‑deck area normally reserved for sun loungers and cocktail bars, reports describe an integrated dive centre, wet lab, hospital, and 3D‑printing workshop. ^[15]

These facilities allow scientists and crew to:

prep and deploy submersibles and ROVs
process samples and data onboard
fabricate spare components on demand
handle medical issues in a fully equipped hospital, overseen by a live‑in medical professional on longer expeditions

Everyday luxuries: gyms, spa, courts and more

Leviathan still delivers the standard billionaire playbook. Across multiple reports, the yacht is said to include: ^[16]

Two gyms
A 250 m² beach club with spa and bar
Diving platforms and water‑level terraces
A basketball half‑court and a Jacuzzi deck
Large social spaces, including a communal dining hall seating more than 50 people

Newell’s own suite reportedly features warm woods and bespoke cabinetry details—Fortune and luxury‑lifestyle outlets mention parquet flooring and ash‑finished storage—underscoring that this is still very much a private home as well as a research platform. ^[17]

Built for science: how Leviathan fits into the Inkfish fleet

For all the memes about “15 gaming PCs on a boat,” Leviathan’s most interesting role may be as the newest and largest member of Inkfish, Newell’s privately funded marine research organization. ^[18]

Oceanco’s own release makes clear that Leviathan “joins Inkfish,” while German outlet Boote and others describe the yacht explicitly as a “floating research laboratory” with facilities designed to support long‑range scientific expeditions. ^[19]

Inkfish already operates some of the most capable deep‑sea hardware on the planet. In 2022, Newell’s group acquired explorer Victor Vescovo’s Hadal Exploration System, including the ultra‑deep submersible Limiting Factor (now renamed Bakunawa) and the support vessel Pressure Drop (now Dagon). The submersible holds records for the deepest crewed dives in all five oceans. ^[20]

Inkfish is also building RV6000, a 100‑metre, purpose‑built research ship in partnership with Norwegian yard Vard, intended to operate alongside existing vessels RV Dagon and RV Hydra. ^[21]

Leviathan slots into this fleet as a multipurpose flagship: a place where scientists, crew, and guests can live and work together while running dives, mapping missions, and biology programs from a platform that’s as comfortable as it is capable. ^[22]

Newell himself has been quoted in several articles stressing that “yachts have great potential to serve as platforms for scientific research,” arguing that their presence should add value to the communities and environments they visit—an ethos echoed by both Inkfish and Oceanco. ^[23]

Steam billions, shipyards, and the business behind the boat

Leviathan doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it’s a shiny node in a growing network of businesses now orbiting Newell’s interests.

Steam’s record year

The $16.2 billion in estimated Steam sales for 2025—already surpassing last year with weeks still to go—translates to a huge revenue stream for Valve, which takes a 20–30% cut depending on a game’s total sales. ^[24]

Industry analyses estimate Valve’s share at around $4 billion in 2025 so far, reinforcing Newell’s position as one of the wealthiest figures in gaming, with a net worth in the low‑double‑digit billions. ^[25]

Owning the shipyard

In August 2025, Newell bought Oceanco itself, turning the yard that built Leviathan into an in‑house partner rather than a mere supplier. Both yacht media and Oceanco’s own statements emphasize how personally involved he has been in shaping not just this yacht but the yard’s future direction, positioning him as a “hands‑on visionary” who “respects the sea.” ^[26]

The result is a feedback loop:

Steam generates enormous cash flows.
That money helps fund yachts and research vessels.
Those vessels, in turn, become platforms for Inkfish and a branding showcase for Oceanco, which Newell also owns.

Leviathan is the physical convergence point of those three strands: games, ships, and science.

How Leviathan is different from a typical billionaire toy

Plenty of billionaires own superyachts; fewer use them as quasi‑public science infrastructure.

Across outlets like Megayacht News, YachtBuyer, SuperYacht Times, and Boote, a consistent theme is that Leviathan’s layout and ethos are less about segregating guests and crew and more about shared spaces and collaboration. Crew‑only zones—including technical workshops—are sometimes finished to guest standards, while areas like the main saloon are designed as communal halls for large groups. ^[27]

Similarly, the space typically used as a hedonistic beach club is instead devoted to labs, medical facilities, and dive operations. In that sense, Leviathan arguably functions closer to a hybrid of expedition yacht and research vessel, just one wrapped in Oceanco‑level luxury. ^[28]

Public reaction: admiration, criticism, and memes

Unsurprisingly, the internet has had… opinions.

On Reddit and other social platforms, gamers oscillate between hero‑worship and class critique. Threads in r/pcgaming, r/gaming, and r/Steam mix admiration (“He deserves it”‑style posts tied to decades of consumer‑friendly decisions at Valve) with sharp criticism of billionaire excess and environmental impact. ^[29]

Many users latch onto the most absurd details—the submarine garage, the 15‑PC LAN room, the idea of a basketball court on a research ship—and spin them into memes about Newell “playing Subnautica in real life” or “unsunsetting the Leviathan before Bungie.” ^[30]

Others focus on the science angle, pointing out that Leviathan and the Inkfish fleet have already supported expeditions that discovered new species in the deep ocean, while some skeptics question whether a diesel‑electric giga‑yacht can ever truly be “good” for the environment, however sophisticated its labs may be. ^[31]

What to watch next

Today’s coverage suggests Leviathan is only at the start of its media lifecycle. Here’s what to keep an eye on over the coming months:

First major research expeditions: With a dive centre, submersible support and lab space onboard, expect Inkfish‑backed missions that explicitly highlight Leviathan’s scientific role. ^[32]
RV6000’s launch: When Inkfish’s 100‑metre dedicated research ship is delivered, Leviathan will effectively have a purpose‑built sibling, turning Newell’s fleet into one of the most capable non‑governmental deep‑sea networks in the world. ^[33]
Valve hardware and “life at sea” branding: With Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and other hardware products rolling out, don’t be surprised if Leviathan quietly becomes part of Valve’s mythos—a physical backdrop for future interviews and brand storytelling about remote work, autonomy, and experimentation. ^[34]

For now, though, Leviathan stands as the most tangible symbol yet of how far digital storefront money can go: from selling indie roguelikes on Steam to launching a 111‑metre, research‑ready giga‑yacht with its own hospital, submarine, and a better LAN setup than most gaming cafés on land.

Gabe Newell’s $500 Million Superyacht with Submarine, Hospital & 15 Gaming PCs | NewsDrift