Doug Lombardi has stepped down from his role as Valve’s vice president of marketing. He worked at the company for 22 years, managing marketing and press activities for all games since the first Half-Life.
Lombardi didn’t disclose the reason behind his departure. As highlighted in his LinkedIn profile, he left Valve in February 2022.
According to user wickedplayer494, who covers the news about Valve’s games and Steam, Kaci Aitchison “succeeds Doug as Valve’s new press contact for inquiries.” Prior to that, she made a name in the Dota 2 community as a popular host of different events and joined the company on a full-time basis in 2019.
Doug Lombardi started his career in the industry in the 90s. Here’s how Valve described his path on its website: “After years in the music industry, Doug decided to get a real job. Then he came to his senses and made the decision to get into the gaming industry instead.”
Lombardi’s relationship with Valve started in 1998 when he worked as brand manager for the first Half-Life at Sierra On-Line. He joined Valve in January 2000, eventually becoming a vice president of marketing. During his time at the company, Lombardi managed and coordinated third-party relations, marketing, and press activities for all games and Steam.
Besides his job as the marketing head, Lombardi is known as the guy with a valve in his eye eternalized in the company’s logo.