As Valve's Deadlock game details leak en masse, company remains suspiciously silent

Is 'Deadlock' truly Valve's next shooter?

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What just happened? Valve's next big release Deadlock has allegedly been in the works since at least early 2022. And if you've been anywhere near gaming news over the past week, you've probably caught wind of the massive leaks surrounding it. Stills, clips, and details about this supposed 6v6 hero shooter have been spreading like wildfire across the internet.

What's odd is that Valve isn't trying to shut down or remove the leaked Deadlock content. This inaction has led to speculation on Reddit that the leaks are an intentional marketing ploy by Valve.

As one Redditor said, "Free marketing without putting much work into it."

Another suggests Valve could be using the leaks to "gauge public reception" while still being behind the closed alpha status where things are still subject to change.

The latest leaks, like the ones posted by user Pixel on X/Twitter, showcase three minutes of footage highlighting character abilities like mesmerizing foes and cool dodging animations. One clip spotlights the Pyro-esque "Infernus" hero, emphasizing Deadlock's focus on fluid movement with dodges, slides, and verticality during frantic combat.

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While there's still no official confirmation about Deadlock, the sheer number of leaks does suggest something's cooking. There's also no denying the footage has that classic Valve game feel.

Gabe Follower posted the Deadlock leaks to X on May 16. He described Deadlock as a six-versus-6 MOBA on huge maps with four lanes. The game features usable abilities and items, tower defense mechanics, and a fantasy setting mixed with steampunk. Magicians, weird creatures, and robots make up the classes. It also has a fast travel system with "floating rails, similar to Bioshock Infinite."

Building on the information dump was user 404 Leak, who shared apparent gameplay footage on May 22 that validates Gabe Follower's claims of a rail travel system. The clip also shows what appears to be an in-game "Hero Training" tutorial mode.

Further leaks revealed new mechanics like earning "Souls" currency by eliminating enemies, which players can spend on upgrades and temporary power boosts at shops scattered across the maps. Players can buff skills, ammo capacity, stamina, and more with Souls.

Things went next level when the infamous anonymous message board 4chan got its hands on Deadlock files, subsequently leaking 90+ individual gameplay clips and tutorial videos. If this is an elaborate ruse, it's one of the most insanely detailed ones gaming has seen. The last time we saw something of similar magnitude was the GTA VI data dump in September 2022.