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Deadlock (video game)

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Deadlock
File:Valve Deadlock icon.png
The game's icon
Developer(s)Valve Corporation
Publisher(s)Valve Corporation
EngineSource 2
Platform(s)Windows
ReleaseTBA
Genre(s)Third-person shooter, MOBA
Mode(s)Multiplayer

Deadlock is an upcoming third-person hero shooter and MOBA hybrid video game developed by Valve Corporation for Windows. It takes place in a dieselpunk urban fantasy setting. While not formally announced, with no confirmed release date, the game was in closed beta for months as of August 2024, and players who have access to the beta can also invite their friends. Despite Valve's honor system request to keep the details of the game secret, over 90 leaks of its gameplay have occurred, including gameplay videos on social media and a full preview by technology site The Verge that resulted in its author being banned from matchmaking for the game. As of August 2024, the game had a concurrent player count of more than 20,000 people.[1]

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot of an early build of Deadlock during its closed beta

Deadlock is a 6v6 shooter, similar to the original Overwatch in format.[1] It will be Valve's first true third-person shooter, save for the top-down Alien Swarm.[2] Players control powerful hero characters and escort NPCs down several "lanes" in order to destroy the enemy team's stationary defenses. This makes the moment-to-moment gameplay highly similar to MOBAs. If the enemy's defenses are destroyed, it reveals their "Patron", a tremendous magically animated golem that must be defeated to win the match.[1]

Players can unlock various skills and abilities for their hero, as well as use ziplines to navigate the arena. The game has about 20 different heroes, though it is unclear what, if any lore or backstory about them exists beyond their names and descriptions.[1] However, as of August 2024, the game has an overall dieselpunk urban fantasy aesthetic.

Reception

Responding to leaks of the game that occurred in May 2024, Ars Technica's Kevin Purdy stated that the game looked like "a pressed sandwich of every game around", wondering whether it would be genre-defining in a similar manner as Valve's other games.[3]

On August 12, 2024, Sean Hollister of The Verge published a full preview of the game.[4] 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 screen 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 led to negative reactions from the gaming community.[5][4][6] Riley MacLeod of Aftermath and Paul Tassi of Forbes both defended Hollister's reporting, saying that although ignoring Valve's request may have been impolite, Hollister was nonetheless not legally nor professionally obligated to keep the game's details secret and had not violated journalistic ethics.[5][6] Megan Farokhmanesh of Wired speculated that the secretive release strategy was a deliberate publicity stunt by the company to tempt players to leak the game, building hype about it.[4] Ted Litchfield of PC Gamer stated that it was "hard not to be excited" for a new Valve game, saying he was "ready to jump in" on day one.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ Wilde, Tyler (May 22, 2024). "Leaked video of alleged Valve hero shooter Deadlock kinda looks like BioShock Infinite". PC Gamer. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  3. ^ Purdy, Kevin (May 17, 2024). "Leaks from Valve's Deadlock look like a pressed sandwich of every game around". Ars Technica. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ a b Tassi, Paul. "The Verge Under Fire For Publishing Info About 'Deadlock,' Valve's Secret Shooter". Forbes. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  6. ^ a b MacLeod, Riley (August 13, 2024). "Valve's Baffling Deadlock Decisions Don't Need Defending". Aftermath. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  7. ^ 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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