Players eagerly awaiting the next major update for Valve's hybrid MOBA-shooter, Deadlock, will need to exercise patience. The anticipated content drop, initially hoped for by the end of August, has been delayed to late September.
According to a recent post from Yoshi, the developer-run Discord and forum account, the delay is attributed to the standard playtesting and iteration process taking longer than anticipated. Yoshi clarified that this is not due to a change in the scope of the update itself.
This update follows the "Old Gods, New Blood" patch, which introduced six new heroes and other significant changes to the game. Valve had previously indicated that a large content update was in development, alongside two smaller updates focused on the ranked mode and items. With the ranked rework now released, attention turned to the next major content addition.
Deadlock has been in an invite-only state since its launch. However, recent updates have brought the game closer to a potential public release. The "Old Gods, New Blood" update marked an unusual level of developer engagement, including a dedicated webpage and community voting for hero release order, suggesting a notable investment in the project. Since then, updates have maintained a consistent pace.
Valve has a history of working on projects for extended periods before sometimes shelving them. While the exact nature of the current delayed update—whether it's the larger content patch, the item update, or a combination—remains somewhat ambiguous, Yoshi's communication suggests an awareness of player anticipation. The developer account's lighthearted mention of ordering pizza when the update is near serves as a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgment of the community's hunger for new content and a promise to inform players when it is imminent. This suggests Deadlock may be nearing a broader open beta or full release.