Valve’s New Game. Deadlock, Already Has Cheaters

Cue for the entrance of party poopers. Deadlock cheaters are getting the spotlight from Valve.

Throughout the years, Valve released iconic game titles to change the gaming community. However, it is already facing challenges with its newest game in the development phase. Deadlock, their latest online multiplayer gaming, has been catching strays of cheaters left and right. It only means that despite the limited player access, there are some who are already using unfair advantages.

The Rise of Cheaters in Deadlock

This upcoming third-person shooter (TPS) from Valve has been generating attention in the gaming community. They introduced Deadlock to bring a unique twist on the tower-defense mechanics. Currently, the game is only available in a closed alpha playtest environment. Despite this, it managed to attract a significant player base, as it reports over 140,000 concurrent players. 

Yet, this popularity also brings unwelcome guests to the game. Recently, multiple sources from social media and Steam community discussions are reporting cheating instances in their Deadlock matches. The cheats are primarily seen as aim assists or aimbots and wall hacks. 

Evidence of Cheating

It’s a disappointing finish when cheaters win the game. User @IntelDeadlock posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) that showed a player exhibiting suspicious behavior. In the 40-second clip, a player keeps hitting shots on almost all of the enemies quickly with impressive accuracy. What gives away the cheating is its consistent targeting of the mob enemies as well as hero characters despite the character movement. 

Looks like cheaters using aimbots have started to show up in Deadlock🙁

via /linkdix pic.twitter.com/fWHCOqm7Za

— Deadlock Intel (@IntelDeadlock) September 4, 2024

Besides this, a video is also circulating on the Steam subreddit that captured a suspected cheater in the act. It caught the player’s crosshair snapped to an opponent that was hiding behind a wall. Then a pre-firing followed, which made the use of aim assist and wall hacks more obvious. 

Taking a look at deadlock cheaters
byu/MintDoe inSteam

The Impact on Deadlock’s Development

With the surge of cheaters in Deadlock’s alpha phase, it challenged Valve to take action by strengthening their measures. If such instances persist, Valve can possibly see a decrease in its player count. Often encounters with cheaters discourage legitimate players from playing. Beside this, it also put risk in the game’s reputation even before the official launch. That’s why Valve has to quickly develop their countermeasures to avoid further damage in the game’s community. 

It’s a good thing that there have been several users and communities that are raising concerns on this issue. It helps Valve detect the used cheating methods in the game. This also gives time for Valve to make changes in their strategies to prevent the spread of cheating methods on the platform. 

Valve’s Response to Cheaters

Valve is keeping silent on this issue. There hasn’t been any official comment from their side about the cheating incidents surrounding Deadlock. Although there are some reports that claim the company is doing its best. In community discussions, people are talking about how Valve has been issuing hardware bans against players that cheated. 

It will only make things harder for players to get back in the game due to its difficulty to circumvent. Also, aside from the hardware ban, Valve implemented a player reporting system to let players flag any suspicious behavior. Multiple players have reported and received feedback from Valve. They claimed that Valve banned reported players for various offenses, which include cheating.

Community Reaction

Frustrations came up in the gaming community about the ongoing cheating issue. Although some remain understanding of the situation, others can’t help to feel the opposite. Several players expressed their disappointment at seeing cheaters in Deadlock despite its development phase.

Some pointed out that this serves as a perfect time for Valve to address these issues before officially launching the game. Besides that, the community has also been calling Valve out to implement stricter anti-cheat measures. Cheaters are spoiling the fun from the game. That’s why people are demanding from Valve to make sure of a fair-play environment.  

Conclusion

Deadlock continues to be a highly anticipated title within the gaming community despite the cheating concerns. Due to its refreshing blend of third-person shooter with tower defense elements, players have been eager to play on its release. Besides this, Valve, the studio developer, has a reputation for coming up with impressive game titles. 

For now, it is notable that Valve has been active in acting against cheaters on the platform. While their presence remains concerning, Deadlock is still in its alpha phase. With that, Valve can make adjustments in their anti-cheat measures before releasing it officially in the TPS market.