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== Development ==
''Deadlock'' was originally meant to be a sci-fi third-person MOBA called ''[[Neon Prime]].'' It was also known as ''[[Citadel]]'' and ''[[Shadowline]]'' at various points in its early development. Valve trademarked ''Neon Prime'' in October 2022,<ref>[https://uspto.report/TM/97625453 ''Neon Prime'' trademark] on USPTO.report</ref> but the game started being reworked into ''Deadlock'' later that year''.''

The currently ongoing ''Deadlock'' closed playtest began on April 2024,<ref>2024-04-16 - [[Yoshi]]; Deadlock Forums - [https://forums.playdeadlock.com/threads/early-development-build-privacy.2/ Early Development Build Privacy]</ref> when the official forums and Discord server were created, and the name was trademarked by Valve on May 2024.<ref>[https://uspto.report/TM/98576353 ''Deadlock'' trademark] on USPTO.report</ref> The game was leaked on various occasions from 2019 to 2024, and Valve listed the game on Steam in August 2024, after its playtest had already reached tens of thousands of concurrent players.<ref name=":1" />

While ''Deadlock'' hasn't been officially mentioned or promoted by Valve beyond its Steam page, various Valve employees, contractors and voice actors have acknowledged their work on the game on social media, and it was mentioned in the ''Half-Life 2'' anniversary documentary on November 2024.<ref>{{YouTubeCite|video=YCjNT9qGjh4&t=7135s|title=Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Documentary (1:58:55)}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+Development Timeline
!Date
!Events
|-
|Early 2018
|Creation of ''Citadel''
|-
|April 2019
|First ''Citadel'' leaks in ''Dota 2'' files
|-
|September 2020
|''Neon Prime'' appID added on Steam, first leaks found in ''Dota 2'' files
|-
|2020-2022
|Development of ''Neon Prime''
|-
|October 2022
|''Neon Prime'' trademark registered
|-
|Late 2022
|''Neon Prime'' canceled, transition to ''Shadowline/Deadlock''
|-
|Early 2023-July 2023
|Development of Caldera_trooper map (art style transition)
|-
|Late 2023
|Development of Cursed Apple map
|-
|November 2023
|''playshadowline.com'' domain registered
|-
|February 2024
|''Deadlock'' tutorial videos recorded
|-
|April 2024
|Beginning of playtest, creation of forums and Discord server
|-
|May 2024
|First ''Deadlock'' leaks, trademark registered, email invite system
|-
|June 2024
|Steam friend invite system
|-
|August 2024
|Steam page created, embargo lifted, forums made public
|-
|February 2025
|[[Update:February 25, 2025|Map Rework]] update
|-
|May 2025
|[[Update:May 8, 2025|Shop Rework]] update
|-
|August 2025
|[[Six New Heroes]] update
|-
|January 2026
|[[Old Gods, New Blood]] update, ''playdeadlock.com'' updated
|-
|July 2026
|[[Matchmaking update]]
|}