Gabe Newell has been playing Final Fantasy XIV on the Steam Deck

Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve, has reportedly been spending a lot of time playing Final Fantasy XIV on Valve’s new handheld, the Steam Deck. Even the co-owner and founder of the PC’s biggest gaming platform couldn’t resist the sway of the critically-acclaimed MMORPG.

In an interview with IGN, Newell talks about the new handheld console, explaining that the majority of the time spent on the console has been with FFXIV. He went on to talk about how he got into the game through his son, who wanted a more reliable healer in his raids.

Related: Does Final Fantasy XIV run on Steam Deck?

Newell also explained that he moved onto Final Fantasy XIV after playing World of Warcraft and getting sick of it. He describes, "I sort of got burned out on World of Warcraft. I got to the point where they’d introduce a new level cap, and I’d be like, 'argh!'” His move to Final Fantasy XIV is in line with a huge migration that happened in the player base over the past 18 months. In 2021, Final Fantasy XIV beat it’s all-time concurrent players record on Steam. 

The information is great news for Final Fantasy XIV fans who may be considering playing the game on Steam Deck or new players who want to pick it up on the handheld—with the big boss of the company playing it on your platform, hopefully FFXIV's Steam Deck version won't have many bugs.

For more Final Fantasy XIV info and guides, check out How to beat Hesperos in Final Fantasy XIV on Pro Game Guides.