Deadlock Player Count Plummets, Valve Adjusts Development Strategy
Deadlock, Valve's MOBA-shooter, has seen a significant decline in players, with peak online counts now below 20,000. In response, Valve has announced a change to its development approach.
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The previous bi-weekly update schedule, while helpful, proved too restrictive, hindering the proper implementation and testing of changes. Going forward, major updates will be released on a flexible schedule, allowing for more thorough development and ultimately resulting in more substantial content updates, according to a developer. Regular hotfixes will continue as needed.
Deadlock's player base has dramatically shrunk from its peak of over 170,000 players to a current range of 18,000-20,000. However, this doesn't necessarily signal trouble. The game is still in early development, with no release date set. Given the potential prioritization of the new Half-Life project (reportedly internally approved), a release in the near future is unlikely.
Valve's revised strategy prioritizes quality over speed. The developers believe a superior product will naturally attract and retain players. This approach mirrors the evolution of Dota 2's development cycle, which also transitioned from frequent updates to a more measured approach. Therefore, the changes shouldn't be cause for alarm.
