Wolpaw was also a co-writer for Left 4 Dead. Prior to his work at Valve, Wolpaw helped to write Psychonauts with Double Fine Productions. Back in 2004, Wolpaw was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and planned to quit Valve as he wouldn't be able to fulfill his duties due to a worsening condition. Gabe Newell surprised Wolpaw by saying that his job was to "get better" and sent Wolpaw on extended leave with pay in order to recover and to spend time with his wife, only to return when he felt better.
The confirmation of today's news came when someone noticed Wolpaw updated his Facebook page to reflect his current (lack of) working status.
If nothing else, Wolpaw is currently helping to write Psychonauts 2 with Double Fine.
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Damn... Erik Wolpaw is one of the cooler guys there. Then again, is there anything he even needs to write there? DOTA 2 character stories maybe? The backstory of CS:GO's C4? The Adventures of uh.... Steam Tech Support?
Maybe they can contract him back in when the time comes?