Summary

• One leaker believes that Deadlock was originally set in the Half-Life universe.
• Initially, the game took place during the seven-hour war.
• Currently in its closed alpha stage, Deadlock has seen positive feedback, though no official release date has been announced.

A credible Valve leaker has linked Deadlock to the Half-Life series. Deadlock is currently in closed alpha, with players able to send an invite to their entire friends list. The title was unannounced until very recently after news regarding the hero shooter MOBA began trending.

Prior to Deadlock being officially announced, it was already gaining traction on Steam. Deadlock has been topping player charts, with over 98,000 at its peak at the time of writing. Valve’s new game offers a unique blend of the MOBA and hero shooter genres, with players able to select from a large cast of unique characters. The objective of Deadlock is to be the first team to kill the Patron in the opposite team’s base. Players reach the enemy base by progressing down lanes akin to MOBAs like League of Legends and SMITE. The game takes place in a steampunk setting, but recent evidence suggests that this wasn’t always the case.

A trusted Valve insider and leaker by the name of Gabe Follower recently released a video about Half-Life 3 leaks. In it, he discusses why he believes that Half-Life 3 is currently in development, also claiming that Deadlock was originally a game set in Half-Life’s universe. The insider has been discussing these leaks for the past three years, with evidence suggesting some game set in the Half-Life universe was in development.

Deadlock Was Almost a Half-Life Game

The leaker discusses how difficult it was to determine which game was under development. According to the leaks, Deadlock was initially known by several working titles and took place during the seven-hour war. This war took place in the Half-Life universe when the alien forces of the Combine fought against humanity and was given its name because it only took the Combine that long to defeat Earth's United Nations. Half-Life is seen as one of the best first-person shooters in history, with a potential third title that has been in limbo for over a decade. Deadlock would have been very different if Valve had gone in this direction, but eventually, it transformed into its own game.

Although Deadlock has been announced, it may be years until the title has a full release. Before the official announcement, Deadlock was one of Valve’s worst-kept secrets, as in May 2024, Valve began its invite-only alpha through Steam. So far, the game has 21 different playable characters and includes a short tutorial introducing new players to the game’s mechanics before they hop into a match.