Evgenii "Gufis" Kondratev Recently, Deadlock has experienced a massive drop in player numbers. The game’s peak online count now doesn't exceed 20,000 players. Valve has decided to adjust its approach to the game’s development.
Valve will tweak the schedule for major updates. Deadlock patches will be released with no fixed timeline, allowing for improvements in the development process. Players can expect more substantial updates as a result, according to one of the game's developers. Hotfixes will continue to be released regularly as needed, the developers emphasized.
Image: discord.gg
Initially, Valve released updates for Deadlock every two weeks. According to the developers, this cycle was useful, but it didn’t provide enough time for changes to fully take hold and function properly. As a result, Valve has decided to shift its strategy.
Deadlock's peak online on Steam exceeded 170,000 players, but by the beginning of 2025, the highest daily count has dropped to 18,000–20,000 players.
Does this mean the game is in trouble? Not at all! The MOBA-shooter still doesn’t have a release date. It’s in the early stages of development. This means it’s unlikely we’ll see its release this year or next, especially if the company’s priority is the new Half-Life, which seems to have received an internal green light.
Valve isn’t rushing, and it’s focused on creating a high-quality product. Happy players will bring their money to the company themselves. So, this is really about the developers' convenience. After all, Dota 2 also had regular updates in the beginning, before the development process changed. So, there’s no cause for concern.
Main image: reddit.com
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