The CEO of Valve and owner of the shipyard, Oceanco, owns this 363-foot (111-meter) yacht.

Oceanco

We’ve just had our first look inside one of the most radical, boundary-pushing superyachts of the last 12 months. Leviathan, owned by video game magnate Gabe Newell, was built by Dutch yard Oceanco (who also built Jeff Bezos’ yacht and Arthur Blank’s yacht, among others) and delivered just at the end of last year.

We already knew the yacht would be different. It was billed to focus on no-frills functionality, crew camaraderie and well-being, and was conceived to have less of a luxury approach and more of a practical one.

Originally signed around 2020, the 363-foot Leviathan was commissioned for Gabe Newell, the co-founder and CEO of video game development company Valve (who often goes by GabeN). Clearly, the relationship between builder and owner was a strong one, since last year, Newell also purchased the shipyard.

Leviathan is the latest addition to his ever-growing fleet of boats, most of which are geared towards research and expedition. Leviathan is his largest, but it’s not his first Oceanco–he also purchased the luxury yacht formerly known as Tranquility and converted it into a rugged shadow vessel called Draak.

Leviathan may have her own support yacht, but she’s a highly capable standalone vessel in her own right, tailored to be a hybrid of cutting-edge private vessel, scientific support platform, and optimized long-range operational base. In place of areas traditionally reserved for “indulgence” or pure recreation, the yacht has a fully equipped dive center, laboratory, onboard medical facilities, and fabrication capabilities through a dedicated 3D printing workshop.

This unusual configuration aligns well with Newell’s broader marine research initiative, Inkfish, an organization focused on oceanographic exploration and scientific access. It means the yacht can function not solely as a private retreat, but as a mission-oriented vessel capable of contributing to deep-sea research and ocean missions.

Leviathan also distinguishes herself through a high level of technical refinement. Built around a diesel-electric platform supported by a beefy battery system, the yacht is engineered for silent nighttime operation, improved fuel efficiency, and lower mechanical strain. This novel propulsion system also allowed designers to relocate machinery spaces, freeing up traditionally desirable aft sections for guest accommodation.

The yacht is a result of extensive collaboration between Oceanco, Mark Berryman design, Lateral Naval Architects and MARIN, with the shared goal of making the yacht as silent and comfortable as possible. With advanced stabilization systems, and exhaustive testing of vibration, ventilation acoustics, and hull efficiency, Leviathan puts guest comfort at a level more commonly associated with aerospace or high-end hospitality engineering than yacht construction.

Equally notable is the philosophy behind the yacht’s construction, as Newell’s close involvement emphasized maintainability, and long-term operational capabilities. This includes things like special exterior paint chosen to reduce cleaning time, railings that require little polishing and durable interior materials for ‘real world’ use.

And, of course, no teak decking–which is one of the most time and labor-intensive parts of maintaining a yacht.

“What makes Leviathan so unique is the way she came to life. From the very start, we knew nothing about her would be done in a traditional way,” says Oceanco CEO Marcel Onkenhout. “We were welcomed into the team alongside Gabe and everyone who would ultimately be involved in operating her. It is this level of collaboration that sets Leviathan apart from anything we’ve built before. We’re incredibly proud of the way she was developed […] now say she’s the most comfortable yacht ever designed, built, and delivered by Oceanco.”

This may signal a broader trend among the world’s wealthiest owners. As conversations around sustainability, exploration, and legacy evolve, yachts that function purely as symbols of consumption may begin to feel outdated.

While Leviathan is still unmistakably a superyacht, her radical ethos could be a sign of new things to come in the world of superyachting.