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[[File:Deadlock Logo.webp|thumb|332x332px|''Deadlock's'' logo.]]
[[File:Deadlock Logo.webp|thumb|332x332px|''Deadlock'''s logo.]]
'''''Deadlock''''' is a 6v6 third-person shooter and MOBA developed by Valve Corporation. It was first publicly announced on August 23, 2024.<ref name=":1" /> The game's release was unconventional and marked by a deliberate approach of secrecy before public acknowledgement. The initial distribution method involved inviting players through the Steam friends list feature. The game is still in development and is played through an Early Development Build.<ref name=":1">https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2024/08/26/valves-deadlock-instantly-rockets-to-90000-players-after-official-announcement/</ref>
'''''Deadlock''''' is a 6v6 third-person shooter MOBA developed by [[wikipedia:Valve_Corporation|Valve Corporation]].<ref>[https://store.steampowered.com/app/1422450/Deadlock/ Deadlock] on Steam</ref> It was first publicly announced on August 23, 2024.<ref name=":1" /> The game's release was unconventional and marked by a deliberate approach of secrecy before public acknowledgement. The game can only be played be receiving an invite from a Steam friend who already has the game. The game is still in development and is played through an [[Early Development Build]].<ref name=":1">2024-08-26 - Paul Tassi on Forbes - [https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2024/08/26/valves-deadlock-instantly-rockets-to-90000-players-after-official-announcement/ Valve’s Deadlock Instantly Rockets To 90,000 Players After Official Announcement]</ref>


== Gameplay ==
== Gameplay ==
In ''Deadlock'', two teams of 6—the ''Sapphire Flame'' and the ''Amber Hand''—battle on a city [[map]] with 4 lanes. The objective is to destroy the enemy's [[Patron]], a massive golem, while defending your own. Players control [[Heroes]] with upgradable abilities and items bought using [[souls]]. 
''Main article: [[Mechanics]]''
 
Souls are earned by defeating enemies and completing tasks and can unlock 'boons' from Patrons, which boost Hero stats. Heroes level up, unlock abilities, and equip items in slots for [[Weapon]], [[Vitality]], and [[Spirit]], with additional [[Flex]] slots unlocked by completing objectives. The game blends elements of shooters and MOBAs, focusing on tactics, teamwork, and strategy in a third-person perspective with skill-shots, movement, and gunplay. The game is notable for it's use of [[Zip-lines|ziplines]] for long-distance transportation. 
== Development ==
''Deadlock'' was originally meant to be a futuristic third-person MOBA called ''Neon Prime.'' It was called numerous names in it's earliest stages of development. Valve trademarked ''Neon Prime'' on October 2022. The game was later renamed to ''Deadlock.'' The game was leaked on various occasions from 2022 to 2024. Valve listed the game on Steam in  August 2024.


In ''Deadlock'', two [[teams]] of 6 players, ''[[The Sapphire Flame]]'' and ''[[The Amber Hand]],'' battle through 4 lanes of [[New York]]. Each team fights on behalf of a god, called a [[Patron]]. The objective is to destroy the enemy's Patron while defending your own to complete the ritual. Players control [[Heroes]] with upgradable abilities, and items are bought using [[souls]]. Souls are earned by defeating enemies and completing tasks. They can also unlock 'boons' from Patrons, which boost Hero stats.


Heroes level up, unlock abilities, and equip items in slots for [[Weapon]], [[Vitality]], and [[Spirit]]. Additional [[Flex]] slots are unlocked by completing objectives.


== Theme and Setting ==
The game blends elements of shooters and MOBAs. It focuses on tactics, teamwork, and strategy, with third-person skill shots, movement, and gunplay. It also has a unique [[Ziplines|zipline]] system for long-distance transportation.
The game has a fantasy theme and is set in the early 1900's United States where occult rituals and magic anomalies are common place and heavily regulated. The game's current map is implied to be this universe's version of 'New York', where the ritual takes place. The ritual is between two patrons and whichever side is victorious will 'spawn' the patron into their world, allowing them to grant their side a 'boon'. Heroes are based on various tropes and ideas associated with the time while containing many unique contributions.


== Setting & Theme ==
''Main article: [[Lore]]''


In the world of ''Deadlock,'' occult rituals and magic anomalies are commonplace and heavily regulated. The game takes place in an alternate 1940s version of New York called [[The Cursed Apple]]. Two covenants battle to complete the Ritual and summon their Patron, a god capable of granting wishes. Each character has their own wishes and reason for wanting to summon the Patron, but their fates collide on the streets of New York. The game has strong occult themes blended with an old-school American style.


== Lore ==
== Development ==
There is currently not much known about the lore of the game outside of in-game hero descriptions and a leaked graphic novel featuring [[Lady Geist]] and [[Infernus]]. Fantastic events are a deeply woven part of the game's lore and are often an explanation for heroes' abilities.
''Deadlock'' was originally meant to be a sci-fi third-person MOBA called ''[[Neon Prime]].'' It was also known as ''[[Citadel]],'' ''Project8'' 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 was renamed to ''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.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Development Timeline
!Date
!Events
|-
|Early 2018
|Creation of ''Citadel''
|-
|April 2019
|First ''Citadel'' leaks in ''Dota 2'' files
|-
|2020-2022
|Development of ''Neon Prime''
|-
|October 2020
|First ''Neon Prime'' leaks in ''Dota 2'' files
|-
|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
|-
|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
|}


== References ==
== References ==
<references />{{Development History}}
[[Category:Deadlock Wiki]]
Retrieved from "https://deadlock.wiki/Deadlock"