Valve has announced plans to slow down the update cadence for its free-to-play title Deadlock in 2025, shifting away from its previous fixed two-week update cycle. This decision, shared by developer Yoshi on the official Deadlock Discord, emphasizes a new approach prioritizing quality and larger-scale updates over frequency. While the news may disappoint fans who enjoyed the consistent stream of changes throughout 2024, Valve aims to use this adjustment to improve both internal development processes and the overall player experience.
“As we start 2025, we are going to be adjusting our update schedule to help improve our development process,” said Yoshi. “While it was very helpful for us in the beginning, we’ve found that our fixed two-week cycle has made it more difficult for us to iterate on certain types of changes internally, as well as sometimes not giving enough time for the changes themselves to settle externally before the next update came around.” You can read more about the announcement via PCGamesN.
This change comes after a year of significant evolution for Deadlock, which debuted on Steam in early 2024 following leaked gameplay footage. The game has since carved out its own niche in the competitive hero-shooter genre, thanks to its steampunk-inspired aesthetic and Valve’s signature polish. Despite being free-to-play, Deadlock has drawn comparisons to titles like Marvel Rivals while maintaining its unique identity.
The new update strategy will focus on larger patches that will be spaced out, making each release feel more impactful and event-like. Hotfixes will continue to be issued as needed. Recent examples of Valve’s evolving approach can be seen in Deadlock‘s winter update, which introduced festive content alongside limited-time events, offering a welcome break from the frequent balance tweaks of 2024.
Currently, Deadlock features 22 playable characters across various roles, with an additional eight heroes available in its experimental Hero Labs mode. Despite still being in early access, the game has gained praise for its diverse roster, polished mechanics, and creative anti-cheat measures. While an official release date has not yet been confirmed, fans can expect more news and potentially larger updates as 2025 progresses.
This shift signals Valve’s commitment to refining Deadlock as it continues to grow within the highly competitive live-service gaming landscape
