Deadlock (video game)
| Deadlock | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Valve Corporation |
| Publisher(s) | Valve Corporation |
| Platform(s) | Windows |
| Release | TBA |
| 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 the game. As of August 2024, the game had a concurrent player count of more than 15,000 people.
Gameplay
[edit]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]
Reception
[edit]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 was not under NDA, he was allowed to write about it.[1] However, the article's publication led to widespread online backlash. 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.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Hollister, Sean (2024-08-13). "We played Valve's secret new shooter, Deadlock". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
- ^ Wilde, Tyler (2024-05-22). "Leaked video of alleged Valve hero shooter Deadlock kinda looks like BioShock Infinite". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
- ^ Purdy, Kevin (2024-05-17). "Leaks from Valve's Deadlock look like a pressed sandwich of every game around". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
- ^ a b Farokhmanesh, Megan. "Thousands of People Are Playing Valve's Secret New Shooter Right Now". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
- ^ Litchfield, Ted (2024-08-12). "We can all see that Valve's unannounced shooter Deadlock just hit over 18,000 concurrent players, Gabe". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
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