Gaming legend Gabe Newell fascinates me because he’s way more than just another superyacht owner who just so happens to have added the aptly named, 364-foot-long Leviathan and the 305-foot-long, completely rebuilt Draak to his growing fleet of large yachts and research vessels. And oh yeah, he also owns Oceanco—the Dutch shipyard that built both 300-footers and many other large yachts including Jeff Bezos’ 414-foot Koru.
Of course, any owner who launches a new yacht measuring over 300-feet long is going to be interesting. And if that owner just so happens to launch two 300-footers in a matter of months and also happens to be the founder of highly lucrative and wildly successful video game platforms, he can exert some gravitational pull on the whole superyacht industry.
But even all those multi-million-dollar superlatives are only part of the story. In fact, I think the most fascinating thing about Newell (and these two massive new yachts to be showcased at the upcoming Monaco Yacht Show) seems to be how he combines hard core tech development with a human, collaboration-based approach to all the yachts they are building, and companies they are acquiring, and the scientific research they are conducting.
Leviathan and Draak were specifically developed to operate seamlessly together within Newell’s Inkfish fleet and designed and built with a collaborative, crew-centric design process that resulted in unconventional layouts.
“With Inkfish, we try to focus on being of service to the scientific community,” says Gabe. “We work with scientists to understand what's helpful, then look at how our technology, tools and resources can best support their mission, whether that’s getting them to places they couldn't otherwise reach, developing new technology or providing funding to remove barriers to their research.”
Delivered in November 2025, Leviathan is designed to improve the experience of everyone living and working onboard. Communal spaces create an environment where guests and crew are encouraged to interact, while low-maintenance materials aim to maximize crew productivity. Dedicated onboard facilities, including a dive center, laboratory and hospital, support Inkfish activities.
Delivered in June 2026 following a comprehensive rebuild by Oceanco's Life Cycle Support, Draak has been reimagined for an entirely new operational purpose. Alongside Leviathan, she now supports Inkfish expeditions with specialist diving facilities, a capable tender fleet and heavy-duty lifting systems. Many of the same design and operational principles introduced on Leviathan were also adopted on Draak.
The Monaco Yacht Show will also mark just over a year since Newell joined the Oceanco team. His tenure has overseen the continued expansion of the Oceanco’s collaborative ecosystem through the addition of Alewijnse and Winel, joining fellow specialist companies Aluship, Lateral and Mercury.
“Just about everything I've been involved in over the years has moved some aspect of technology forward in a way that benefits customers,” says Gabe. “Our aim is to identify interesting technologies, prototype them and move them into production.”
Stay tuned for much more about these and many other massive new superyachts that will be at the Monaco Yacht Show this year.