Game news Valve’s next multi-shooter has just leaked: Deadlock is closer to Overwatch and LoL than to Counter-Strike
If Valve is known for Steam and Counter Strike, we tend to forget the other games that made the company famous. Portal and Half-Life aside, it was also Team Fortress and DotA that contributed to its popularity. Something that we are reminded of by Deadlock, the studio’s next project.
Valve: the creators of Counter Strike on another project
If we know Valve for being the platform that owns Steam, we tend to forget that the company is also a video game studio. It is she who is at the origin of market essentials such as the two Half-Life, Portal and Counter Strike. Defense of the Ancient, better known as DotA, is the ancestor of LoL. And it is also Team Fortress, an online cooperative shooter, which contributed to the studio’s fame. After relaunching the Counter-Strike machine with CS 2 at the end of 2023, Valve is once again eyeing the Overwatch-style “hero-shooter”.
In any case, this is what we can believe with the recent leaks observed. The first rumors suggest a game called Deadlock, some images of which were posted by the content creator GabeFollower on Counter Strike. Images which already give an idea of the artistic direction taken but also of the principle of the game: Deadlock pits two teams of six players against each other, each with a character with unique powers. They then compete on four distinct paths, reminiscent of the MOBA principle popularized by League of Legends.
Deadlock, a mix between DotA and Team Fortress
These are our colleagues from Insider Gaming who may have had additional information: they declare having had gameplay sequences of the game which they cannot however make public. With these videos in hand, Insider Gaming confirms GabeFollower’s comments in addition to providing details on Deadlock. The latter is currently in the alpha phase and therefore in its infancy. There is still experimentation on the game, whether concerning the substance (the gameplay) but also the form (artistic materials).
For now, Deadlock includes 19 different heroes with different ways to play. There are healers, assassins but also characters specialized in taking damage or ranged attacks. Like League of Legend or Dota 2, Deadlock includes a “minion” mechanic that must be killed to recover gold coins (souls, in this case). These are used to exchange equipment that improves your character.. And this is how the players will have to assert themselves to take control of the opposing base.
However, it is necessary to emphasize the precocious nature of Deadlock. As stated, the latter is only in the alpha phase. If the game really exists, there is a world of difference between its state now and its state when it was released. Ideas may germinate along the way, others may be put aside. And this gestation period, essential to stimulate the creativity of developers, can sometimes last. You will therefore have to be patient regarding Valve’s new game and above all, moderate your enthusiasm.