"For much of 2024, was Valve's worst-kept secret. The hero shooter/MOBA hybrid had been running playtests with thousands of players well before its actual announcement, but after one of those playtests resulted in massive leaks, including a report from , the game was finally revealed. Since then, it's been making slow progress as an invite-only playtest, and now, with Valve in the middle of adding six new characters over the course of two weeks, Deadlock seems to be in its best state ever."
"Valve recently announced its new slate of heroes with a novel way for playtesters to guide their release. The first new character, Mina the vampire, was added on August 18, but after that, players have the ability to vote on who's coming next. Billy, a goat-man wielding a bat was added on August 20, followed by the bellhop Doorman two days later."
"Mina and Billy have also become popular picks, but Doorman feels like a fundamental change for Deadlock. Mobility is massively important in the game, and Doorman offers not just a way to move around the map quickly, but also to instantly use that speed offensively. On the game's subreddit, players quickly began sharing clips of themselves throwing out two portals - excuse me, doorways - and using them to ambush enemy teams in a way that wasn't possible before."
Deadlock underwent large-scale playtests in 2024 and was revealed after a major playtest leak. The game remains an invite-only playtest while Valve is adding six new characters over two weeks. Valve introduced a voting system allowing players to choose subsequent hero releases after Mina the vampire launched on August 18, followed by Billy on August 20 and Doorman two days later. Doorman's signature ability places doorways on walls that permit passage for both allies and enemies, dramatically altering mobility and tactics. Players share clips using paired doorways to perform ambushes, demonstrating immediate strategic impact and renewed player interest.
Read at Inverse
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