Much has already been said about Windows 8 and its new tile-laden interface. Moreover, much has already been said about Windows 8 gaming and how game developers are worried that the OS could damage the PC gaming market. Valve co-founder and Managing Director Gabe Newell last month stated that Windows 8 will be a “catastrophe” for PC gaming. Microsoft has defended Windows 8 gaming, but concerns still remain that the OS will lock PC games behind Xbox-like licensing walls.

This week in an interview with Game Trailers TV, Newell went even further with his criticism, saying that customers will “hate” Windows 8 and are “going to basically rage quit computing after they use it.” He said, “things that used to be incredibly simple are very complicated and hard.”

Newell doesn’t want to bask in schadenfreude, though. He stated that he hopes his predictions are wrong, if only for the sake of Valve’s Steam platform, which runs primarily on Windows PCs. “I hope I’m wrong,” said Newell. “If I’m wrong, we’ll actually end up making more money in the 12 months that follow Windows 8 shipping than if I’m right. I’m just worried that I’m right.”

It’s easy to mistake Newell’s criticism of Windows 8 as malicious, but his reaction could very well come from a place of nostalgia. Newell once worked for Microsoft, creating software for over a decade before founding Valve. To see what he considers a terrible OS coming out of something he was once a part of could be disappointing.

Newell is putting Valve’s money where his mouth is, however. The company is currently hedging its bets and porting its Steam platform to run on Linux. So, whether Windows 8 actually is a “catastrophe” or not, Steam is positioned to either remain the most popular digital distribution platform for the Windows PC or become the vanguard for a new era of Linux PC gaming.

Check out the short interview segment below: