When was the Valve Corporation founded?

Valve Corporation was founded on August 24, 1996. The company was established by former Microsoft employees Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington, with the primary goal of developing video games and software for the emerging PC gaming market. Since its inception, Valve Corporation has become renowned for its critically acclaimed game titles, such as Half-Life, Portal, and the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game Dota 2. Additionally, Valve has made significant contributions to the gaming industry with its digital distribution platform, Steam, which revolutionized the way games are bought and played by millions of users worldwide.