Valve Confirms the Existence of Deadlock, the Game Everyone Already Knew About

After months of speculation, Valve has finally confirmed the existence of Deadlock, a new MOBA shooter that had been an open secret in the gaming community. The confirmation came subtly over the weekend when Valve released a short teaser and published a store page for the game—essentially serving as an official announcement.

Despite the official reveal, the store page provides scant details. It describes Deadlock as an action game still in "early development" and currently accessible only to playtesters and those with friend invites. The page includes some artwork and the teaser, accompanied by a disclaimer that these art assets might be temporary.

Gamers can now add Deadlock to their wish lists, and it seems many have eagerly done so. According to the third-party tracking site SteamDB, Deadlock is ranked 59th in wish list popularity, with over 42,000 followers at the time of writing.

Deadlock’s development and release strategy have been anything but conventional. The game was the subject of numerous leaks, which detailed its features long before it began to draw significant numbers of players on Steam. Initially, Valve invited a limited number of playtesters, who could then invite their friends, leading to a steady increase in the player base behind closed doors. By August, the game had over 2,000 concurrent players, peaking at an impressive 89,203 players this past Sunday.

Valve made attempts to prevent players from sharing gameplay footage online. As reported by The Verge, an "early development build" message greeted players, instructing them not to share any details about the game. While players could agree to these terms, the disclaimer wasn’t legally binding, and it was possible to bypass the message and continue playing. Consequently, numerous screenshots, gameplay details, and even live streams have surfaced online.

Deadlock is a 6v6 hero shooter that combines elements from popular games like Overwatch and League of Legends, featuring a MOBA-like map with multiple lanes and minions. Valve appears to have drawn inspiration from its other titles, incorporating features reminiscent of Team Fortress 2 and Dota 2, while also including elements from games like Apex Legends that promote quick and agile map navigation.

As of now, Valve has not disclosed any further plans for Deadlock beyond ongoing playtesting. However, if the leaks and the game's growing presence on streaming platforms are any indication, Deadlock has already attracted a sizable audience that Valve could tap into.