On May 16, a user with the nickname GabeFollower published a post on Twitter in which he talked about the upcoming project of Valve Studio called Deadlock. Previously, it was known as Neon Prime and Citadel, which were mentioned by blogger Tyler McVicker last year.
Deadlock is a competitive third-person shooter with 6 players in each team. According to the insider, the gameplay can be described as a mixture of several well-known projects, including Dota 2, SMITE, Overwatch, Orcs Must Die, League of Legends, Valorant, and some other projects with similar features of competitive games.
The main design of Deadlock resembles the style of a steampunk European city. There are a lot of elements of the sci-fi genre, which were inspired by Valve's native Half-Life and Portal games. However, you can also feel the influence of some other projects, such as the previously mentioned Overwatch and BioShock Infinite with its rail-based fast movement system.
Both sides of the teams have their own bases located on a large map with four lines and tower defense mechanics. The main goal of the game is currently unknown, but we can assume that the essence is the same as in Dota 2 — that is, the defense of the main structure. Or perhaps we will have not just one game mode, but several at once, or something like an improved Tower Defense genre.
Deadlock players will have the opportunity to buy and use various items, supplies, and abilities during the game to defeat opponents or help their teammates. The game features different types of heroes, ranging from humans, strange creatures, mages, and even robots and bizarre creatures.
The character designs were based on Dota 2 characters, which suggests that certain parallels or similarities can be found between them in the form of certain elements of appearance or abilities. Perhaps Deadlock is the same concept of the “Great Confluence” that Dota 2 characters have so often mentioned, or perhaps Deadlock will have nothing to do with any of Valve's other games.
In addition to a little information about the new project, GabeFollower also published several images from the game. Among them is a banner of a character named Grey Talon. This character resembles a Native American equipped with a cybernetic bow. Judging by the description and icons of the character's abilities, we can assume that he specializes in very long-range shooting, using traps to immobilize his target and make it easier to hit it. In general, Grey Talon is somewhat reminiscent of the Dota 2 hero Windranger.
The insider also published several images directly from the game. Certain design elements resemble Team Fortress 2. At the bottom of the screen, we can see a minimalist ability bar. There are information icons in the lower left corner. We can assume that they are responsible for the hero's movement speed, accuracy, number of deaths, and the amount of in-game currency. In the upper right corner there is a panel that shows the number of killed creeps, defended and finished spheres.
In the second screenshot, you can see the minimap in the lower left corner, as well as portraits of the heroes of both teams at the top, so we have a better idea of their design. The third image shows, most likely, the main menu of the game with tutorial panels on certain features of the game.
At this time, it is not known when the game will be released, as there have been no official statements from Valve. However, we can assume that the game will be released no earlier than 2025, but open beta testing or new information on the game will appear in the near future.
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