Valve has finally broken its silence on Deadlock, its eagerly awaited MOBA shooter, which has been the talk of the gaming community. Over the weekend, Valve confirmed the game's existence and launched its official page on Steam. The closed beta for Deadlock reached a new peak with 89,203 concurrent players, more than doubling the previous peak of 44,512 on August 18.
Previously shrouded in secrecy, Deadlock was only known through leaks and speculation. Valve had maintained strict confidentiality until now, but the company has now relaxed its stance. Valve has officially lifted the restrictions on public discussions about Deadlock. This means that streaming, community websites, and conversations about the game are now allowed. Despite this increased openness, Valve emphasizes that the game remains invite-only and is still in early development with temporary art and experimental features.
According to The Verge, Deadlock offers a dynamic blend of gameplay elements reminiscent of both MOBA and shooter genres. The game features 6-on-6 combat, similar to Overwatch, where teams vie for dominance by pushing back opponents while managing an army of NPC grunts down multiple lanes. This combination creates a constantly evolving battlefield where both human-powered heroes and NPC allies play crucial roles.
Matches in Deadlock are fast-paced and intense, with players needing to balance between leading their Troopers and engaging in direct combat. The game’s innovative mechanics include frequent respawns of Troopers, constant wave-based battles, and strategic use of powerful abilities and upgrades. The gameplay emphasizes coordination and tactical depth, with a mix of melee and ranged combat, and movement options like sliding, dashing, and zip-lining to navigate the map.
The game also features 20 different heroes, each with unique abilities and playstyles. From classic archetypes to inventive new characters, Deadlock offers a rich roster that encourages experimentation and teamwork. Despite being in early development, the game's potential is evident, and Valve’s approach to inviting players for feedback and testing adds a layer to its release strategy.
In an unusual twist, Valve is reportedly not adhering to its own Steam Store guidelines for Deadlock. According to Valve’s standards, a game page must feature at least five screenshots. However, Deadlock’s store page currently includes only a single teaser video, which shows a brief, atmospheric shot of an alley and passing figures with weapons.
This discrepancy has sparked criticism, with some arguing that Valve, as a Steamworks Partner, should follow the same rules as other developers. The same debate happened during a March 2024 sale of The Orange Box, a bundle that includes Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode 1, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, and Portal, where Valve was criticized for adding promotional stickers to its store page, though this issue was later addressed. Valve’s deviation from its own rules has been noted by 3DGlyptics, the publisher and developer of B.C. Piezophile, who claims that Valve undermines the consistency and fairness of Steam’s platform policies.
Despite the controversy, Valve’s unique position as both a game developer and platform owner means that traditional enforcement mechanisms may not apply. As Deadlock continues its development and testing phases, it remains to be seen how Valve will address these concerns, if at all.
