Deadlock (Video Game)

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Part of a series on Valve. [View Related Entries]

About

Deadlock, previously known as Neon Prime and Citadel, is a project name for an upcoming hero-based third-person shooter game rumored to be in development at Valve. Leaked online in mid-May 2024, the video game became a subject of viral subject of discussions on social media and gaming forums.

History

On October 26th, 2022, gaming industry insider Tyler McVicker reported on a rumor that game publisher and developer Valve was working on Neon Prime, a new video game at that time thought to be adjacent to DoTA.^[1]^[2]

On May 16th, 2024, industry insider @gabefollower reported that the next Valve game, previously known as Neon Prime and Citadel, is a competitive third-person hero-based shooter Deadlock. According to the report, the game features usable abilities and items, tower defense mechanics, and is set in a steampunk fantasy setting. The post (shown below) garnered over 1,000 reposts and 11,000 likes on X^[3] in one day.

On the same day, several threads about the game were made on 4chan's /v/^[4]^[5] board (example shown below, left). In one thread, several screenshots, allegedly from the ongoing alpha test of the game, were shared (example shown below, right).

Also on May 16th, insider Tyler McVicker uploaded a YouTube^[6] video about the leak that garnered over 65,000 views in one day (shown below).

On May 16th, 2024, @gabefollower shared more previously leaked screenshots from the game in a post that received over 920 reposts and 6,300 likes on X^[7] in one day (shown below).

On May 22nd, 2024, a gameplay clip of Deadlock, leaked by a friend of Team Fortress 2 YouTuber Uncle Dane,^[8] was widely circulated online (shown below).^[9]