From legendary developer Valve, Deadlock is a 6v6 hero shooter/MOBA currently in an invite-only phase that has gained significant traction, with over 100,000 players purely through word-of-mouth, without any marketing, trailers, or ads. The game features elements reminiscent of titles like SMITE and Paragon, as well as Overwatch, Marvel Rivals, and Concord.

The way it blends the MOBA and hero shooter gameplay is probably the most interesting part of this game. As a MOBA, it includes key mechanics such as creeps, leveling, builds, a diverse roster of over 18 characters, lanes, and objectives. Whereas on the hero shooter side, it emphasizes roles, classes, and tactical variety, offering players a dynamic blend of strategic depth and action.

Why does Deadlock matter?

Overwatch has relatively gone without competition in the hero shooter space, with Marvel Rivals and Concord trying to step into that space (some more successfully than others).

Valve Software, largely known for Steam platform but also a juggernaut in the games space with Half-Life, Team Fortress 2, Portal, and Left 4 Dead is developing the game, marking a return to development after 2020’s breakout VR success Half-Life: Alyx.

Impressions

To be transparent, I am not the biggest enthusiast for either genre. Overwatch is fun when I played it years ago but never something I stuck with. I was always more of a Destiny player with the focus on having a style and build I could customize and personalize

MOBAs were never something I dipped into largely because my social circles never really were fans and I was hesitant to learn about it as a solo player. When I finally gave it a shot with DOTA and League of Legends, I felt there was so much pre-existing knowledge required, the barrier for entry felt too high to join it late in those games’ lifespans.

With Deadlock, however, it felt like all my concerns with jumping into hero shooters and MOBAs were addressed. While there are hero shooters with specific abilities, the MOBA blend of upgradeable abilities allowed some serious levels of playstyle personalization I appreciated. Do you want to take a fragile high powered character and lean harder into mobility abilities or evasion? Or put your points into making them tankier and not as fragile? There are numerous customization options available where you spend your points as you level, and it can be a bit overwhelming. Luckily, Valve did a good job with this by providing you a suggested path for spending your points that you can lean on if you don’t want to think about it too much.

The MOBA side feels welcoming, as well. Being brand new, I do not have to worry about any pre-existing lore or meta strategies that can often immediately diminish a new players experience. It is a level playing field (for now) and I find that refreshing.

Final Thoughts

Deadlock is Valve’s latest dive back into the game development scene and it’s hard to deny the heads it is turning. Their invite-only, word of mouth marketing approach mixed with their signature blend of polished presentation with creative game design is making for a fun experience for me thus far. I am excited for this game to further develop, and much like Baldur’s Gate 3, the early access approach is a good decision to help get that final 1.0 release in a great spot for a wider audience.

If any of this sounds interesting to you whether you’re a hero shooter fan or MOBA enthusiast, I recommend you find a friend who’s dived into this for an invite code so you can join the conversation. I definitely want to keep following this game’s development as it continues so be sure to check back with Temple of Geek when Deadlock has more development updates!

Does Deadlock sound like a game you’re going to jump into? Do you think it’s here to stay? Let us know!