Valve have a new game on their hands that’s been shrouded in secrecy for quite a while now. The game is called Deadlock and is rumored to be a 6v6 team shooter with MOBA elements. Most of the news out in the public is unconfirmed by Valve, and the only thing for certain is that it’s an actual game that is currently in development.
Valve are being very tight-lipped about this new game and have only just recently given players a sliver of information regarding Deadlock. Veteran Valve reporter Tyler McVicker stated earlier this year, from an ongoing closed alpha playtest that the game, that the new Valve game would be an amalgamation of Valorant, Overwatch, Dota, and Team Fortress 2. The reporter also confirmed that Deadlock would be Valve’s next major project and has been in development since 2019!
Valve Confirms Deadlock’s Existence on Steam
It seems like every few months more and more information comes out about Valve’s new game, with the most recent, albeit barebones, bit of information being the game’s Steam page. Valve recently updated the game’s Steam page, confirming the project’s existence for the first time ever. The Steam page features a short video of a character in an alley, with the only thing to gather from it being the game’s art style. It bears a striking resemblance to Bethesda’s Dishonored with a similar muted brushstroke style that leaves everything looking like an oil painting.
Details of the game can also be picked up from the user-defined tags for it, which are MOBA, Third-Person Shooter, Team-Based, and Multiplayer. These tags corroborate well with all the rumors surrounding the game thus far.
img: Deadlock Steam Page – src: Valve
Playtesting for Deadlock & Valve’s Invite System
In spite of Deadlock presumably still being in its early stages of development, it is no secret that thousands of players around the world have been playing the game for months now. This soft-launch approach is fairly interesting, as it is very unusual and far from the norm for any company. The playtesting implies that it’s a closed beta, but there’s almost 80,000 people actively playing it with their friends; doesn’t seem so closed now does it.
img: Deadlock Steam Charts – src: Steam
The reason for this is because literally anyone can playtest Deadlock, with the right connections, that is. To be able to test the game, you must first get an invite from someone in your friends list already playing the game, and that’s about it. This approach explains the large number of active players, as the playtesters aren’t individually vetted or required to sign NDAs or do anything at all besides get an invite.
Another interesting way Valve is handling the situation is how it deals with leaks. The Deadlock situation is as secretive as a third trimester with all the leaks and news surrounding it. Valve aren’t actively trying to hide information about the game, but they’re also not acknowledging a single thing about it at the same time. This soft launch/closed beta approach is surprisingly working in their favor though, as the hype around the game plus the urge to be a part of the playtest surges with each passing day.
