Valve had planned to ship The Orange Box as a white box, but staff 'destroyed the idea'. They also saw that you were doubting Portal prior to release: "You guys are going eat those words"

On October 10, 2007, Valve released the Orange Box. It was a compilation of Half-Life 2 and both episodes, Team Fortress 2 (which had been long awaited), and the unknown Portal. Half-Life 2 (Episode 2) was still relatively new, but the entire package was worth the price of a single retail game.

Valve still valued retail at the time: Steam had been around for a few years, but boxed purchases were the main focus of The Orange Box's launch. The box was a key part of the deal, and The Orange Box failed to impress in this aspect. The final product was an odd tripartite presentation that included all three games with distinct aesthetics and a bunch text explaining what was inside.

The Orange Box was chosen after a pitch that was completely different. It was so different that it sparked a minor rebellion.

"I don't usually talk about nonpublic things at Valve," said former Valve writer Chet Faiszek. "But that person is gone now and this was to me the funniest thing and a wonderful example of how Valve works dysfunctionally but well.

"Half Life 2: Episode 1, it's not a big hit, but it's OK. We're working on Half-Life 2 Episode 2, early days of TF2, Portal." Faliszek laughs as he recalls how some corners of internet perceived Portal: "Go back to the early days, before the Orange Box was released, like 'They are throwing in this student's project, it is going to be crap. It's crazy. Even then, we knew "Oh this is something special, you guys will eat those words'."

Faliszek says that the internal meeting is "a good example of how decisions are made" and refers back to the box. "Going into the discussion with the box was the most important thing because it would talk about the game in the store shelves. Steam is still not trusted, it's 2007. The box will be the most important part, and it must convey value. Everyone who worked at the company back then will remember this meeting, because they show this Apple box. It has nothing on it except [whispers] "Half-Life 2" or maybe "The Orange Box."

I imagine this as a Valve spin on The Beatles' White Album, which was a plain white sleeve embossed with the band name in small type. I guess that the Beatles didn't have to worry in 1968 about whether or not their new album was going to sell at retail. The Valve staff's resistance to the idea grew in either case.

Faliszek says, "There were The White Box and The Black Box as well, it was super confusing." "But it was stately and beautiful and we all thought 'this is dumb, this is just stupid'. These were senior people pitching it, and oh god the ridicule that they're receiving for this idea, this box...

"All of you who have been crunching and working, this is your relief valve. I'm using puns, our way of blowing off steam and getting this out of our systems. I wish I owned that box, or any of the artwork from it. It makes me laugh. The people's hearts were in the correct place, they were doing something, and you know, you talk yourself into it. But then reality sets in and the first people to playtest anything are always others at Valve... And that got destroyed."

Faliszek admits Valve's final decision wasn't the best, but "the Orange Box box is not a great box because it's a difficult problem to solve." This is a valid point, but he adds the company learned from its mistakes and did a better job selling Left 4 Dead with the box art shortly after.

Valve is known for its quirky names. Faliszek says, "It's called the Orange Box since Valve has always used orange as the color for the Half-Life Series." "I love the colour orange, so I liked it a lot." Now you know why the box wasn't white.