On January 15, 2000, after the success of "Half-Life", Harrington dissolved his partnership with Newell and left Valve to spend time with his wife. "At Microsoft you always wonder, <nowiki>'Is it me being successful or is it Microsoft?'</nowiki> But with "Half-Life" I knew Gabe and I had built that product and company from scratch." According to Newell, Harrington did not want to risk another project after the success of "Half-Life".