Valve rarely releases new titles, but rumors of a new competitive title from the makers of Half-Life and DOTA 2 have been circulating for a while. Leaked images and a brief description of the project show that Valve is preparing a unique take on the hero shooter and MOBA genres.
A famous leaker about Valve’s projects recently shared screenshots of a rumored upcoming online game from the company. Called Deadlock, the competitive shooter has been compared to established titles like Overwatch, Valorant, and Valve’s own DOTA 2.
Gabe Follower describes Deadlock as a fast-paced, hero-based PvP shooter that allows players to use items and abilities. Leaked screenshots show two confirmed characters. A character named Gray Talon uses a bow to play long-range attacks. The remaining character, Deadlock, takes on the role of a combination of attack and defense.
Standoff matches take place on a large map with four lanes and incorporate tower defense elements, suggesting that the game will be an equal parts shooter and MOBA competition. Gabe Follower describes it as a combination of Overwatch, Valorant, Smite, Orcs Must Die, Dota 2, and Valve’s Team Fortress 2.
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The game’s setting mixes steampunk and fantasy elements. One of the screenshots shows an elevated rail that players use to move quickly across the map, similar to BioShock Infinite. Initially, Valve tried a sci-fi theme similar to Half-Life and Portal but changed direction after internal feedback.
If Deadlock is released to the public, it will be Valve’s first multiplayer title since 2018’s Artifact, which failed spectacularly. Since then, the company has released updates to its established game series, such as the auto-combat Dota Underlords, the VR-only Half-Life: Alyx, and a major update for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has turned into Counter-Strike 2.
