Valve's Deadlock is Brilliant

A friend gave me access to the alpha for Valve’s new third-person shooter MOBA, Deadlock. I haven’t really dipped my toes into the waters of online multiplayer gaming in a looong time. I’m getting older and my reflexes and dexterity just can’t keep up with this new generation of young gamers. Their brains have been even more hardwired for gaming and technology than us aging millennials. Still, I was curious about Deadlock (Valve is still making games??), and I gave it the ol’ college try.

The game is still in early development, but I am very impressed. The style, the art, the fantasy steampunk vibes, the music, the smooth gameplay — this game may actually have what it takes to carve a niche for itself in this insanely competitive multiplayer gaming market.

I played League of Legends for years before hanging up my multiplayer hat and settling in for the much more peaceful life of single player gaming. I wouldn’t say that I was good at MOBAs or shooters, but I was certainly capable. I loved the strategic gameplay and the team-based decision making, especially when you’re playing with a full squad of decent human beings (which is unfortunately quite a rare feat to accomplish nowadays). I dabbled in Overwatch, which only had minor MOBA elements, but I completely missed the boat with Battleborn. It’s sad that Battleborn was overshadowed by Overwatch, because Battleborn was a true MOBA shooter hybrid like Deadlock. The timing wasn’t right for Battleborn (or the marketing), but Valve seems to be making its own attempt to bring new life to this hybrid genre with Deadlock.

I see some similarities between Deadlock and Smite, but Smite never seemed to ascend as a major player in the genre due to mismanagement from Hi-Rez (and a lack of marketing resources). It’s very difficult to grab the attention of the multiplayer market. In the rare case that a game does grab some attention, expectations will remain very high. Valve has released a few duds in the past, but they do still have a strong multiplayer pedigree: Counterstrike, Dota 2, Team Fortress 2, and Left 4 Dead. One of the reasons that I actually gave Deadlock a shot was because of my trust in Valve, their creative and talented developers, and their ability to innovate stale genres. That’s why I believe Valve may have what it takes to punch through the glass ceiling with Deadlock.

It’s hard to predict which games will find their time in the spotlight. So many expensive projects lately have just been dead on arrival or shut down prematurely. If Deadlock also fails to grab any attention from multiplayer gamers, I won’t be surprised, but I will be disappointed. There’s something charming and unique about Deadlock. This one doesn’t feel like just another soulless (pun intended) trend chaser. There’s creativity here that deserves some recognition, at least. I would hate to see just another swing and a miss. Thankfully, there’s already plenty of buzz going around. There’s been no announcement about a release date, but some are speculating a mid-2026 or late-2026 open beta.