Deadlock, Valve’s New Hero Shooter, Is Quietly Amassing Thousands of Playtesters

We’ve known since earlier this year that Valve was quietly working on a new game, a sort of cross between hero shooters and MOBAs called Deadlock. But we never got an official announcement. Now, it looks like thousands of people are already playing the game in some sort of early play test, with the game reaching over 18,000 concurrent players earlier today.

Per SteamDB, Deadlock playercount started slowly climbing earlier this month, reaching a peak of 18,254 earlier today and expected to climb further. IGN understands that the game’s current early access period is operating under an invite system, where certain Steam users are receiving invites and can then suggest other individuals to also receive invites.

Since testers started sharing Deadlock screenshots all over the place, here’s ones I can verify, featuring one of the heroes called Grey Talon. pic.twitter.com/KdZSRxObSz

— ‎Gabe Follower (@gabefollower) May 17, 2024

Sreenshots and video footage of the game available to the general public remain minimal, given that players are required to sign a strict NDA before being permitted to play. However, players are free to discuss their experiences with the game, with a “DeadlockTheGame” subreddit already accruing members and discussion of early impressions.

What we know so far is that Deadlock seems to be a mishmash of hero shooter ala Overwatch and MOBA with lane-based gameplay like DOTA 2 and tower defense elements. It takes place in a fantasy/steampunk setting. While we haven’t gotten good looks at its hero cast just yet for the reasons outlined above, everyone currently playing seems to really love one character in particular:

Me: I don’t’ get attached to things that easily!
Also me after 0.2 seconds of playing Deadlock: pic.twitter.com/1EUfO0AK4d

— Moirai Agar’el ♻️💚 Slime Mom – S̶c̴u̴f̸f̸ ̸A̵R̶c̴ (@MoiraiVT) August 9, 2024

With the growing playerbase and invites seemingly available to anyone willing to ask, it seems likely that an actual for-real official announcement of Deadlock may be imminent. Valve’s been on a bit of a spree with stealth releases lately, having quietly dropped Counter-Strike 2 last year and Half-Life: Alyx being announced just a few short months before its eventual release.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected].