Gabe Newell has been trapped in New Zealand since March, and is hosting a concert to thank the country.

After sending Half-Life: Alyx, Gabe Newell left for a 10-day New Zealand vacation with friends, and has been stuck there since the country closed in March. Fortunately, he seems to have had fun. Speaking on the TVNZ1 breakfast show, the Valve co-founder explained that he has been working remotely since the shutdown. New Zealand has dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic remarkably well, with Newell saying, “The hardest part by far,” he explained, “is being concerned about friends and family who are not in New Zealand. “

To thank the country for their hospitality, Newell and two friends, Spanish race car driver Alex Riberas and Riberas partner Teagan Klein, have announced ‘We Love Aotearoa’, a free concert and event that will take place in Auckland on August 15th.

In addition to music, the event will be supported by the professional interests of its founders, with games and virtual reality experiences, as well as a line of racing and drift cars.

Speaking about why he wanted to return him to the country he has been staying in, Newell said: “For me, it is very much about the community spirit, this feeling that everyone can come together and solve this super challenging problem, and then be Welcome to us, essentially, as COVID refugees. There is natural beauty, there are all the fun things you can do, but it’s the people who have really made our lives different. “

In terms of his work, the legendary developer said there was no difference between working from Seattle or New Zealand, which hopefully means he has been able to advance his work with matrix-like brain-computer interface technology.

Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive News Editor. Follow him on Twitter. Do you have any advice for us? Do you want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].