5 things you may not know about Deadlock

Valve's new shooter game Deadlock has started to gain massive popularity in the Steam community. Despite being an invite-only game, it peaked at over 150,000 concurrent players, making it one of the most hyped games of all time. Deadlock is a complicated 6v6 hero-based game, with the goal of both teams being to siege the enemy base and destroy their defenses.

Considering that most of the Steam users still don't have access to the game, many might be unaware of various things related to it. On that note, here are the five things you may not know about Valve's Deadlock.

Note: The game is in an early development phase right now. The information mentioned below is subject to change with the official release.

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Things you may not know about Deadlock

1) The game was originally titled Neon Prime

Neon Prime trademark details are public (Image via JUSTIA)

Interestingly, the original name given to the game was Neon Prime. Valve even registered a trademark for the name on October 10, 2022, but later changed it to Deadlock.

As per the Steam Database history, there were two code names for the game during development, Project 8 and Citadel. Both names are still present in the game files and console.

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2) Valve has broken their own Steam guidelines

For those who don't know, Valve also owns Steam, the largest game distribution company in the world. Users realized that Valve had broken one of their guidelines on the Steam page of Deadlock. User @3DGlyptics reported it first on social media platform X, gaining immense traction.

As per the Steam guidelines, the developers must upload at least five screenshots related to the game. However, Deadlock has only one video and no screenshots uploaded on its store page. This has sparked major controversy in the gaming community and Valve has yet to respond to it.

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3) The game currently has specific matchmaking hours

Deadlock matchmaking hours are limited (Image via Valve)

As the game is in early development, the servers have limited capabilities. They are currently not working throughout the day; thus, Deadlock can only be played during the following times for now:

• Tuesday to Thursday: 8 AM to 9 PM Eastern Time
• Friday to Monday: 4 AM to 9 PM Eastern Time

Those who have access to the game can check the matchmaking hours in their local time at the bottom right window, which also shows the server region on which you are currently playing. Unfortunately, you can not change the server location for now. Flexible matchmaking and server region selection will be available once the game is publicly released.

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4) There are no in-game cosmetics

All the iconic live service games by Valve such as DOTA 2, Counter-Strike, and Team Fortress 2, are infamous for their skins trading market. Their skins are sold for a huge sum and have a dedicated community.

Surprisingly, Deadlock does not feature any in-game cosmetics as of now. However, Valve will likely be adding skins to the game when it moves forward from the early development phase.

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5) Anyone can become a Cheats Moderator

Valve is trying to take every precaution related to toxicity and cheating for their new game. Any player who has played over 100 matches of real players' lobby is eligible to become a Cheats Moderator. The Cheats Moderator's job is to review submitted clips by players that allegedly have hackers or toxic players ruining the experience.

This is a great way of leveraging the community's dedication to improve the in-game experience. You can only get the official Discord invite link if you currently have access to the game. Here's how to join the server and report a player:

• Click the "Join The Discord" button in the bottom right window.
• Wait for the game to generate a temporary Discord invite link.
• Copy and paste the link in the browser.
• Read and accept the server rules.
• Go to the #reports channel and read the instructions.

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Deadlock has been receiving mostly positive reception from players and popular content creators so far and has the potential to become one of the biggest competitive titles in the coming months. The developers are constantly pushing new content updates, maintaining the hype it has created.

If you are looking for an invite link, many players and content creators are giving it away on the official Steam store page and Reddit. Make sure that you are only sharing your Steam ID and not clicking any suspicious links.

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Read more related articles here:

• 5 things we hope Valve works on in Deadlock
• Valve officially announces Deadlock, their “secret” MOBA shooter
• Summit1g criticizes Valve's upcoming game Deadlock