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Deadlock (video game)

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For the unrelated 1996 game, see Deadlock: Planetary Conquest.

Deadlock
Placeholder cover art depicting the hero Haze
Developer(s)Valve
Publisher(s)Valve
EngineSource 2
Platform(s)Windows
ReleaseTBA
Genre(s)Third-person shooter, MOBA
Mode(s)Multiplayer

Deadlock is an upcoming team-based multiplayer third-person shooter game developed and published by Valve.

Since May 2024, Deadlock has been in early development playtesting. Players are encouraged to invite friends to test it via the online game service Steam, but were initially told not to share details about the game publicly.

Shortly after playtesting began, footage of Deadlock began to leak online. On August 12, 2024, a journalist was banned from the game after writing a preview for the technology site The Verge.[1] Later that month, Valve lifted rules on public conversation for playtesters[2] and published a Steam store page for Deadlock.

In September 2024, Deadlock reached a concurrent player count of over 170,000.[3]

Gameplay

[edit]
Gameplay screenshot of Deadlock during its closed playtest

Deadlock is a 6v6 team-based third-person shooter combining elements of hero shooters, like Overwatch, and MOBAs, like Dota.[1] In each match, the 12 players control unique "heroes" who begin split across four "lanes" in a large map. To win, one team has to push their "troopers" (NPCs who fight with the players) down the lanes into the opposing team's stronghold and destroy their "patron" (a large supernatural entity helping the heroes and troopers).[1]

Players can gain "souls" and "ability points" by killing troopers, neutral NPCs called "denizens" and other players. These can then be used to upgrade their heroes' abilities and buy items in "curiosity shops" to make them stronger. The map can be navigated using ziplines on each lane as well as teleporters. The game currently has 29 heroes, each with unique weapons, stats, and abilities. Deadlock takes place in an alternative version of New York City, with references to the occult.[4]

Development

[edit]

In October 2022, Valve registered a trademark for the name Neon Prime.[5] Neon Prime was reportedly helmed by IceFrog (the lead designer of Dota), and would have been a MOBA with a sci-fi aesthetic.[6] Further details were reported in 2023, indicating that it would have been a team-based "third-person 'MOBA-lite'", in which players need to defeat a boss enemy at the opposing team's base.[7] A data miner claimed external playtesting for Neon Prime took place in 2023.[8]

In May 2024, footage from a closed playtest of Deadlock began to leak online. Elements of the game matched the previous descriptions of Neon Prime and it was presumed to be a newer iteration of the same project.[9][10] The playtest on Steam encourages participants to invite friends, but initially asked them not to "share anything about the game with anyone".[1] Players also have access to a private Discord server to discuss the game and forums to read change logs, report bugs and provide feedback to the developers.[1]

In August 2024, Valve lifted the rules on public conversation for playtesters[2] and published a Steam store page for Deadlock. The page states that the game is currently in "early development stages" with "lots of temporary art and experimental gameplay".[11][12][13] Access to the game continues to be invite-only.

Reception

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On August 12, 2024, Sean Hollister of The Verge published a full preview.[14] Hollister noted that since he had not signed nor verbally consented to any legally binding non-disclosure agreement, he was free to write about it, despite being shown a dialog box telling him not to share any information about the game with others. After the preview was published, Hollister was banned from the game's matchmaking.[1]

The article's publication was controversial within the gaming community.[14][15] Riley MacLeod of Aftermath defended Hollister's reporting, saying that although ignoring Valve's request may have been impolite, Hollister was not legally nor professionally obligated to keep the details secret and had not violated journalistic ethics.[15] Megan Farokhmanesh of Wired speculated that the secretive release strategy was a deliberate publicity stunt by Valve to tempt players to leak the game, building hype around it.[14] Ted Litchfield of PC Gamer wrote that it was "hard not to be excited" for a new Valve game and would play it on day one.[16]

Deadlock's aesthetic, mixing elements of fantasy with an early 1900s setting, has been compared to BioShock Infinite.[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Hollister, Sean (August 13, 2024). "We played Valve's secret new shooter, Deadlock". The Verge. Archived from the original on August 13, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Early Development Build Privacy". forums.playdeadlock.com. August 23, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "Deadlock - Steam Charts". SteamDB.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ Carpenter, Lincoln (August 27, 2024). "Deadlock's occult New York setting already has such excellent vibes that I might become a MOBA guy just to see where Valve takes it". PC Gamer. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  5. ^ Dinsdale, Ryan (October 14, 2022). "Valve Registers Mystery Video Game Trademark for 'Neon Prime'". IGN. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  6. ^ Michael, Cale (October 26, 2022). "Valve's secret NEON PRIME project could be a new Sci-Fi Dota game". Dot Esports. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  7. ^ Zuhair, Muhammad (October 29, 2023). "Neon Prime, Valve's Next Third-Person Shooter, Will Reportedly Be a 'MOBA-Lite' with Huge, Destructible Maps". Wccftech. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  8. ^ Robertson, Scott (June 1, 2023). "Data miner claims Valve's next game blends Overwatch, TF2, and Dota 2—and we might see it this year". Dot Esports. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Wilde, Tyler (May 22, 2024). "Leaked video of alleged Valve hero shooter Deadlock kinda looks like BioShock Infinite". PC Gamer. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  10. ^ Park, Morgan (May 17, 2024). "Valve's next game rumored to be a 6v6 hero shooter called Deadlock". PC Gamer. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  11. ^ Vergara, Nico (August 23, 2024). "Valve finally unveils Deadlock on Steam, access is still "limited to friend invite" via playtesters". VideoGamer. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  12. ^ Valentine, Rebekah (August 23, 2024). "Deadlock's Existence Finally Acknowledged by Valve With a Store Page and Official Announcement". IGN. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  13. ^ Bošnjak, Dominik (August 24, 2024). "Valve Officially Reveals New Game". Game Rant. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  14. ^ a b c Farokhmanesh, Megan (August 13, 2024). "Thousands of People Are Playing Valve's Secret New Shooter Right Now". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Archived from the original on August 13, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  15. ^ a b MacLeod, Riley (August 13, 2024). "Valve's Baffling Deadlock Decisions Don't Need Defending". Aftermath. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  16. ^ Litchfield, Ted (August 12, 2024). "We can all see that Valve's unannounced shooter Deadlock just hit over 18,000 concurrent players, Gabe". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on August 13, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
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