Deadlock passed 228,000 concurrent players on Steam after Valve released City Never Sleeps on September 29. SteamDB recorded the new peak less than an hour after launch, surpassing the previous high of more than 171,000 set on August 9, when access was still invite-only.
City Never Sleeps arrived more than eight months after Old Gods, New Blood. Playtesting and iteration took longer than planned, pushing Valve’s next major update into a late-September window.
The Cursed Apple map overhaul gives its lanes distinct identities. Broadway runs through the middle, while Greenwich’s green route passes Umbria University, Central Park, and The Brownstones. York’s yellow lane connects the Stock Exchange, Seaport Dock, and Old Fairfax Factories. Neutral camps now feature creatures specific to their areas, and the Theater District, Chinatown, Haunted Lot, and Plaza each have their own visual themes.
Several locations add new risks and rewards. Purple mist beneath Plaza drains stamina and muffles sound. Chinatown’s Bell Tower offers Souls, but its use alerts nearby players. Tough crates require a heavy melee attack to open, golden statues grant permanent stat bonuses, and flying apples restore health. Steam vents let players recover while hidden in the smog.
The Broker is a temporary match vendor who appears around the 30-minute mark and returns roughly every 15 minutes. Players can trade items for corrupted versions with stronger stats and a randomized drawback. Valve says the Broker will disappear after the first new hero arrives, though he may return at random later.
Match information is easier to track without leaving the shop. A popular-items tab draws on live player data, and chat, the kill feed, and the scoreboard remain available while players browse. The event feed identifies the ability or item behind a kill and shows the resulting personal and overall bounties. Training tools include recorded bot actions, DPS meters, speed graphs, and a detailed combat log.
Valve has also added more than 15,000 new or updated pings and over 10,000 voice lines. Accessibility options include adjustable UI colors, customizable dialogue subtitles, reduced camera shake, and settings for auto-move, auto-mantle, and auto-fire.
Six heroes will arrive over three weeks, beginning Friday, October 2. Rat King, Nurse Harrow, Solomon, explosives expert Deadman Danny, Violet, and tea-drinking Baba are scheduled to release on Tuesdays and Fridays at 2:00 p.m. PT, 5:00 p.m. ET, 10:00 p.m. BST, and 11:00 p.m. CEST. Players vote in the pregame lobby, with the winning team receiving double votes and an extra doubling bonus available for a player’s first win of the day. Posters let players show support for a hero, while matches earn priority tokens that can help secure access as each one arrives.
Valve’s development note puts work on the core game ahead of later polish, such as updating older hero artwork, and says several areas are being developed at once. Midboss, Guardians, and Walkers still needed attention, while hero remodels were planned for later, after more of the core game had been fleshed out.
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Deadlock
Developed by Valve
