The RISE and FALL of Deadlock

Summary

In this video, the creator reflects on the rise and fall of the game 'Deadlock,' a Valve project that gained early hype but lost momentum as players discovered its unfinished state. Despite its promise and innovative mechanics, the game, still in closed alpha, failed to retain its player base, with frequent updates rendering content outdated too quickly. The creator also shares their struggles with making content amidst constant changes and highlights how the game’s lack of new player-friendliness and steep learning curve have led to frustration, drawing parallels with other games that suffered from a hardcore player base bullying newcomers.

Takeaways

• 😀 Deadlock, a Valve game that started in closed Alpha, gained significant hype due to leaks and word of mouth, but saw a major drop in player count after its peak in August 2024.
• 😀 Despite its early hype, Deadlock is still in its Alpha phase and has a lot of work to be done before reaching its 1.0 release, with many mechanics and systems still evolving.
• 😀 The game's frequent updates introduced new changes, but they also made it difficult for creators to keep content relevant, as older videos quickly became outdated due to patch changes.
• 😀 The current state of Deadlock is still promising, with deep mechanics and gameplay, but it struggles to retain players due to its unfinished state and frequent changes.
• 😀 Deadlock is not new player-friendly, especially after its player base shifted to hardcore fans, making it more challenging for newcomers to learn and enjoy the game.
• 😀 The game’s high skill floor means that casual players can easily be overwhelmed by more experienced players, leading to frustration and quick exits from the game.
• 😀 Despite the challenges, many players are still optimistic about Deadlock’s future and are waiting for it to reach a more stable state before fully committing to it.
• 😀 The gameplay experience has evolved, with more complex mechanics like double-jumping, changing abilities, and deeper character interactions, requiring players to keep up with updates.
• 😀 Communication issues and imbalanced matches, especially for newer players, are common problems in Deadlock, as newer players often get dominated by hardcore veterans.
• 😀 The player experience is significantly different now that the game’s population is mostly comprised of hardcore fans, making casual gameplay less enjoyable and harder to learn.
• 😀 Despite frustrations with gameplay and balancing, there’s still an underlying enthusiasm for the game, and players are hopeful that Deadlock will improve in future updates and when it officially launches.

Q & A

What was the initial reception of *Deadlock* when it was first revealed?

When *Deadlock* was first revealed, there was a lot of excitement and hype surrounding the game. The curiosity about what the game was, combined with the secrecy and limited access, built up a lot of anticipation. Players were eager to try it out as more people received invitations to the closed alpha.

Why did the speaker stop playing *Deadlock* after initially being excited about it?

The speaker stopped playing *Deadlock* due to several reasons, including the overwhelming frequency of updates, which led to the content becoming outdated quickly. The need to constantly adapt to new changes made it difficult for the speaker to keep up with producing relevant content, and this made sustaining interest difficult.

How did the change in *Deadlock*'s player base impact the experience?

As the player base shifted from a diverse group to mostly hardcore players, the skill floor increased significantly. This made it challenging for new or casual players to enjoy the game, as they were often outmatched by more experienced players who had adapted to the frequent updates.

What does the speaker mean by saying *Deadlock* is not new-player friendly?

The speaker highlights that *Deadlock*'s steep learning curve and the dominance of hardcore players make it hard for new players to get into the game. Without a diverse player base and with most of the remaining players being highly skilled, newcomers struggle to enjoy the game.

What is the current state of *Deadlock*'s player base as of the speaker's last experience?

The player base of *Deadlock* is now less than 10% of its peak from a few months ago, largely due to the game still being in closed alpha. Despite this, the speaker notes that the player count is still impressive, with over 10,000 players actively engaging with the game.

What impact did the frequent updates to *Deadlock* have on content creators?

The frequent and sweeping updates made it difficult for content creators to produce relevant videos. Since updates changed the game regularly, videos quickly became outdated, and creators struggled to keep up with the pace of the changes. This led to frustration and an inability to maintain consistent content on the game.

What is the speaker's current attitude towards *Deadlock* and its future?

The speaker is still optimistic about *Deadlock*'s future. They are excited to see how the game will evolve and improve, particularly as it reaches a more stable and finalized state. The speaker is not currently playing the game but plans to return once it is in a more polished condition.

How does the speaker compare *Deadlock*'s situation to another game they enjoyed?

The speaker compares *Deadlock*'s situation to the decline of *Natural Selection 2*, where the casual player base was gradually pushed out by more skilled players, leaving only hardcore players. This made it difficult for new players to enjoy the game, a situation that seems to be happening in *Deadlock* as well.

Why is the skill floor in *Deadlock* a problem for new players?

The skill floor is a problem for new players because, with the game's player base consisting mainly of experienced players, newcomers are quickly overwhelmed by the high level of skill required. This makes it hard for them to enjoy the game and learn, leading to frustration and, in many cases, quitting the game.

What does the speaker want to see in *Deadlock* before they return to playing it?

The speaker wants to see *Deadlock* reach a more stable state with fewer updates and changes. They hope for the game to be finalized and to become more accessible to new players. Additionally, the speaker wants to figure out a way to create content that aligns with their preferred lighthearted approach, without the pressure of constantly adapting to the game’s changes.