Valve Suspends 'Counter-Strike' Co-Creator Following Disturbing Allegations
Valve has suspended "Counter-Strike" co-creator Jess Cliffe after he was booked into a Seattle jail. Cliffe was arrested on Thursday morning for alleged sexual exploitation of a child and is currently awaiting a bail hearing.
According to Seattle CBS affiliate KIRO-7 who broke the story, Cliffe was arrested in the jail itself at 1:17 a.m. PT. So far, no charges have yet to be filed but sources at the King County Prosecutor's Office revealed that a booking over such charges "typically indicates" the creation of child porn.
Cliffe's girlfriend was questioned by KIRO regarding the alleged sexual exploitation but refused to give a comment. Cliffe had no criminal history but public records reveal that he pled not guilty to assault charges in 2013 which were later dismissed.
The 36-year old game developer was hired by Valve after he and co-creator Minh Le created a game based on the "Half-Life" mod they created. The game quickly became popular as a multiplayer online shooter and spawned several iterations the latest of which being "Counter Strike: Global Offensive."
While Le left Valve in 2006, Cliffe continued his tenure with the company working on Counter-Strike and other Valve game series including "Half-Life 2," "Team Fortress 2," "Left 4 Dead 2," and "Portal 2." Cliffe's voice can still be heard in the game saying "terrorists win" and "bomb has been planted," iconic phrases that have been etched in video game history.
Following the arrest, however, Cliffe's employment with Valve is currently "suspended" pending further information.
"We are still learning details of what actually happened. Reports suggest he has been arrested for a felony offense," Valve is a statement provided to Kotaku. "As such we have suspended his employment until we know more."
Cliffe himself has yet to release a statement regarding his arrest although fans can expect more details to be revealed at his upcoming bail hearing this Friday.
