How had this happened? Had the leak come from within Valve? Which member of his team, having given years of their life to building the game, would jeopardise the project in the final hour? Such a leak was not only financially threatening but deeply embarrassing.Īfter a few moments pondering these immediate concerns, an avalanche of questions tumbled through Newell's mind. Half-Life 2 was going to be late, and Newell had yet to admit how late. The game had been due for release a couple of weeks earlier but the development team was behind. The town of Schönau im Schwarzwald, where Gembe was living with his father in 2003. Seven months earlier, on 2nd October 2003, Valve Corporation director Gabe Newell awoke in the large American city of Seattle to find the source code for the game his company had been working on for almost five years had leaked onto the internet. 'You are being charged with hacking into Valve Corporation's network, stealing the video game Half-Life 2, leaking it onto the internet and causing damages in excess of $250 million,' came the reply. Do not touch the keyboard,' were ringing in his ears.

Automatic weapons were pointing at his head and the words, 'Get out of bed. At 6am on 7th May 2004, Axel Gembe awoke in the small German town of Schönau im Schwarzwald to find his bed surrounded by police officers.

Half life 2 alpha