Valve released a significant update for its multiplayer hero shooter, Deadlock, on Tuesday, dubbed "City Never Sleeps." The update has coincided with the game reaching an all-time peak in concurrent players on Steam, surpassing 228,000.
The "City Never Sleeps" update introduces a new map set in a stylized, spooky version of early to mid-20th century New York City. Accompanying the new map are six new heroes: Nurse Harrow, Rat King, Solomon, Deadman Danny, Baba, and Violet. Players can vote in-game to determine which of these new heroes will be implemented first.
Additionally, the update rebrands and revamps the game's neutral creeps, now officially known as Haunts. These new creatures include diverse designs such as "Specimen" (a hand in a jar), "Past Dues" (spectral library creatures), "Gutter Ghouls" (cyclopian trash bags), and "Crabbage Pots" (a cryptid inspired by Little Shop of Horrors), among others.
Valve also provided an update on the game's broader development progress, indicating that Deadlock is still far from its final release. The team explained that following the January "Old Gods New Blood" update, they prioritized core game mechanics over polish. Current development efforts are running in parallel on features like progression systems and hero customizations, which the team wants to refine based on player feedback before launch. Valve is also experimenting with more speculative features, such as substantial item redesigns and alternate game modes that could expand the game's scope, though their inclusion is pending playtesting results.
The team expressed satisfaction with the game's progression over the past few years and the valuable feedback received from the player base. More details about the "City Never Sleeps" update are available on the official Deadlock website.