Deadlock Update Suggests a Reveal Could Be Happening Soon

Highlights

Valve’s trademark for Deadlock suggests a new multiplayer shooter is on the horizon, following leaks of gameplay footage.
Despite initial speculation, Deadlock is now believed to be a standalone title set in a futuristic, steampunk world.
A reveal for Valve’s Deadlock could be coming soon based on the trademark news.

Valve has registered a trademark for the name Deadlock, hinting that a reveal might be coming sooner than anticipated. Deadlock is expected to be Valve’s newest third-person multiplayer shooter, which has seen numerous leaks over the last month.

Deadlock has been in development since at least 2022 under the codename Neon Prime, despite no official announcement of the game. At the time, it was thought that the 6-v-6 shooter would be a spinoff of Dota 2, but when leaks surfaced in the last few weeks, it appeared that the developers had spun it into a standalone title. With Deadlock all but in the open, Valve is progressing with the next update.

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As spotted by Tyler_McV on Twitter, the team at Valve has applied for Deadlock to be trademarked. The application for the filling was registered on May 30, only a few days after the gameplay was leaked. At the time of writing, the trademark is still being considered as it has to be checked by various attorneys, but once that has been completed, Valve can move forward with an official announcement.

New Multiplayer Hero Shooter Deadlock Leaks Ahead of an Official Announcement

While Valve’s latest game hasn’t had an official unveiling, the information surrounding Deadlock has already made its way online. In a short clip posted to Twitter, players can get a glimpse of early gameplay that includes a list of 19 characters. From the footage, it appears that Deadlock will be set in a futuristic, steampunk setting that has drawn comparisons to Bioshock Infinite and Overwatch. The gameplay looks similar to Dota, with players having to zip around a large map to kill enemies to earn cash and power up the characters.

It is worth noting that Valve has a track record for misdirecting its fans, and the trademark could be a response to the recent leaks. When Neon Prime was trademarked, some believed it to be an alternative name for the long-rumored Half-Life 3. While Half-Life 3 has yet to materialize, the fact that gameplay has found its way onto the internet gives more weight to Deadlock’s trademark update.

With Valve only registering Deadlock on May 30, it would seem an official announcement is likely a little way off. This won’t stop fans from getting excited, as the developer has been responsible for big games in recent times, such as Half-Life, Portal, and Counter-Strike. However, with footage of Deadlock already available online, Valve appears to be moving at a pace to get ahead of any future leaks.