Valve's Deadlock passes 170,000 peak players through word of mouth and no fanfare

After Concord's highly publicized failure, and that's the last time we'll reference it in this article, one 'hero shooter' multiplayer game is on track to be a massive hit. And that's Valve's third-person multiplayer shooter Deadlock, which blends DOTA 2-style MOBA mechanics with Overwatch and Team Fortress action.

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Deadlock has been in development for some time, with Valve not so much announcing it as a thing as simply making its store page live for the thousands (or millions) of players gaining access to the current closed alpha test. Gaining access to play Deadlock on Steam is a case of friends sharing codes or copies with the knowledge of playing a brand-new Valve shooter and positive word of mouth driving the overall interest.

According to SteamDB, the game has already reached an impressive peak concurrent player count of 171,490, putting it on the list of most popular PC games on Steam. A number that makes it an actual hit, even though it's still in early development.

Valve has been rapidly opening up access to the game in recent weeks and months, and with more and more players jumping in, the feedback has been positive. The unique blend of lane-based MOBA gameplay, character progression, and an extensive line-up of playable heroes resonates with players. Once it goes live, there's every chance it will join Valve's hits Counter-Strike 2 and DOTA 2 as a Steam staple.

This has happened without fanfare: no official gameplay trailers, Team Fortress 2-style animated shorts focusing on the various heroes, and no screenshots. The Steam store page for Deadlock features a short animation that tells you nothing about the game, and the description simply states the following.

Deadlock is still in early development stages with lots of temporary art and experimental gameplay.

Valve hasn't communicated that it's a multiplayer game with MOBA-inspired mechanics. So, yeah, Deadlock hitting that 171,490-player milestone with barely a word from the studio behind Half-Life, Portal, and other iconic games is a big deal.

• Read more: Sony to delist Concord, issue refunds, and take the game completely offline
• Read more: Valve officially announces Deadlock, 'a multiplayer game in early development'
• Read more: First gameplay footage from Half-Life creator's unannounced shooter Deadlock leaks
• Read more: Valve's next game hasn't even been announced and it already has over 18,000 concurrent players