Valve's Workforce Revealed: Around 350 Employees, with Less Than 100 Dedicated to Steam

Recently uncovered details from an antitrust lawsuit against Steam have shed light on Valve's organizational structure, employment practices, and staffing numbers. Despite redactions in the filed paperwork, certain information remained accessible, including employee counts, salaries, and gross margins for the period between 2009 and 2021. Notably, in 2015, the Steam division had 142 employees, but by 2021, this number had decreased to 79, even as the platform saw the release of nearly 10,000 games that year. Combining staff across all departments, including hardware, Steam, game development, and administration, Valve's total workforce in 2021 was approximately 336 employees. The company's peak staffing level occurred in 2016, with 371 employees. It is worth noting that game development roles have consistently accounted for the majority of Valve's payroll. With estimated annual revenues of around $6.5 billion, comparable to EA's $7.5 billion, it is interesting to observe that EA employs over 13,000 people. Furthermore, Valve's gross payroll has remained relatively stable since 2017, with inflation-adjusted figures indicating annual staff costs of around $425-450 million.