Valve Planning to Slow Down Deadlock Updates

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home January 8, 2025 13 Views 5 Min Read
Valve Planning to Slow Down Deadlock Updates



Summary

  • Valve will slow down Deadlock updates in 2025, focusing on bigger and less frequent patches.
  • The game’s winter update brought unique changes to Deadlock, hinting at future limited-time events.
  • An official release date has not yet been confirmed.

Despite a steady stream of updates throughout 2024, Valve is planning on slowing things down for Deadlock going into 2025. The company has stated it will be changing how it handles Deadlock updates going forward, explaining that current matches are making it difficult to deliver as consistently as last year. While disappointing for fans hoping to see constant changes as Deadlock development continues, this means that when updates do drop, they will be bigger than before.

Valve’s not-so-secret free-to-play MOBA Deadlock first dropped on Steam in early 2024 after gameplay leaked online. Since then, the role-oriented third-person shooter has carved out a significant place for itself in the ever-crowded hero-shooter genre, with the game now also having to compete with the incredibly popular Marvel Rivals. However, Deadlock has that elusive Valve “polish,” with the game steeped in a steampunk-adjacent style that makes it stand out. The title has changed in significant ways over the last year, though Valve plans to limit the frequency of the updates it ships.

Deadlock fixing queue times.

Related


Deadlock Updates Address Its Biggest Problem

Valve is making major improvements to address Deadlock’s biggest issue weeks after the company officially revealed the upcoming game.

According to PCGamesN, Valve says that updates for its new free-to-play title Deadlock will be less frequent throughout 2025. “As we start 2025 we are going to be adjusting our update schedule to help improve our development process,” Valve developer Yoshi stated. “While it was very helpful for us in the beginning, we’ve found that our fixed two-week cycle has made it more difficult for us to iterate on certain types of changes internally, as well as sometimes not giving enough time for the changes themselves to settle externally before the next update came around.” This news was shared on the official Deadlock Discord, likely disappointing those who had hoped to see the steady content overhauls continue. However, while players will see fewer updates overall, this means that when updates do drop, they will be bigger than ever before and will feel more like events rather than small hotfixes.

Valve Says It’s Slowing Down Deadlock Updates

Deadlock received a special winter update during the holidays, which offered fans a nice change of pace when compared to the slew of balance changes seen throughout the year. Assuming Valve’s new game follows a similar live service model to its contemporaries, players will likely continue to see limited-time events and other special modes drop for the game as development on Deadlock continues. “Going forward, major patches will no longer be on a fixed schedule,” continues Yoshi. “These patches will be larger than before, albeit a little bit more spaced out, and hotfixes will continue to be released as needed. We look forward to fleshing out the game in the new year.”

Deadlock currently features a total of 22 different characters to try out, ranging from slow-moving tanks to heavy-hitting flankers. These 22 characters can be used in regular game modes, but players looking to experiment can use eight additional heroes in Deadlock‘s Hero Labs mode. Despite not even being officially released, Deadlock has managed to make a name for itself in several ways. Praised for its variety of characters and creativity, Deadlock also employs a unique way to deal with cheaters. An official release date has not been confirmed, but players can expect to hear more news regarding Deadlock in 2025.

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