Deadlock has become one of Valve’s most successful titles in recent days, and it’s still not even out yet. Hours ago, this MOBA-slash-third-person shooter that doesn’t even have a release window managed to rack up a new all-time high peak player count, securing 262,145 concurrent users on Steam.
The substantial spike that pushed things higher than ever comes courtesy of the new City Never Sleeps update, the most expansive update the game has ever seen, which is in the process of introducing six new hero characters and offering a vast array of major changes.
Deadlock Shows Immense Energy From New Update
City Never Sleeps has been a boon for Deadlock, which remains one of the most aspirational games in the business. It’s a strange thing, as you can only access Deadlock if you’re invited by someone else who is playing the test product. That’s indicative of how powerful this game will be, as numbers like this in a locked-down test phase are unbelievable.
According to the game’s wiki, the City Never Sleeps update, which is what has driven the player count to these insane levels, is unreal huge:
- Map rework.:
- Steam Vents added around the map, providing invisibility and regen while standing on it.
- Neutral rework, now called Haunts:
- Many new Haunt types added
- 2 new breakables:
- Tough Crates, requiring a heavy melee to open
- Healing Snacks, hidden around the map, provide healing.
- Golden Statues renamed to Buff Containers.
- Buff Containers and Sinner’s Sacrifice now include: Spirit Resist, Ability Range, Bullet Resist, and Move Speed.
- Added The Broker.
- Added Corrupted Items.
- Major UI changes.
- Refreshed event feed.
- Refreshed Shop UI.
- Dialogue viewer in the Hideout
Additionally, six new hero characters have been added (or are being added as the days push on):
- Nurse Harrow
- Rat King
- Solomon
- Deadman Danny
- Baba
- Violet
The ongoing hype around Deadlock is a strange concept. It’s a very niche game that’s stuck in this tight, inaccessible loop, but it’s proving to be one of the most popular and sought-after titles on Valve’s platform. The expectation is that it’ll become the next Counter-Strike or Dota 2, sitting at the top of the charts for years and refusing to move.
We just have no idea when it’s actually coming out or opening up to a wider audience.
Have you ever managed to play Deadlock? Let us know what you think about the game on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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