Deadlock keeps growing before it has even launched: Valve's MOBA is already in a league of its own

According to Movistar eSports, Deadlock, Valve's new MOBA, keeps growing even though it still hasn't officially launched. Everyone already knew the project was a hit. What's surprising is that it keeps trending upward without having crossed the starting line, something very few people expected.

Why does it matter? Because it breaks the usual logic of the industry. Most competitive games live off a big spike of attention at launch and then fight to avoid bleeding players. Deadlock is doing exactly the opposite: it's gaining traction at a stage where, on paper, it should be a niche product for the curious. For those of us who make a living from competition and content, this is a signal worth paying attention to.

What you need to know

• Deadlock is the new MOBA developed by Valve.
• The game has not officially launched yet.
• Even so, its growth shows no signs of stopping, according to Movistar eSports.
• The source describes it as an established success even before its release.

A success against the current

Normally in this industry, interest in a game is tied to its launch: marketing campaigns, dates circled on the calendar, streamers going all in for a few weeks and then the real test of player retention. Deadlock is building its community the other way around, without a big launch event to push it forward. The fact that this works says a lot about the gameplay and also about the weight of the brand behind it.

We shouldn't forget who's behind it. Valve is the studio responsible for Dota 2 and Counter-Strike, two historic pillars of esports. When a company with that track record steps back into MOBA territory, the competitive community pays attention almost automatically. Still, the name alone doesn't explain sustained growth: if players keep showing up and sticking around, it's because the game is giving them reasons to.

We should be upfront about one detail: the original report doesn't provide concrete player or viewership numbers, so we're not going to make them up. What we can say is the trend the source points to: more interest, not less, and all before launch.

Who it affects and what could change

The impact is spread across several fronts:

• Competitive players: getting into a growing game early means learning the meta before most people and arriving ahead of the curve when an organized scene takes shape.
• Content creators: an expanding game without a saturated creator ecosystem is fertile ground to carve out a space with guides, analysis and commentated matches.
• Teams and organizations: clubs like ours have to decide whether to commit resources now or wait until the game has a clear competitive structure.
• Other MOBAs and shooters: every hour the community spends on Deadlock is an hour that doesn't go to other games, and sooner or later that shows.

Our take

Here at the Underworld Lordz newsroom, we're clear on this: Deadlock deserves to be followed closely. A game that grows before it's even released isn't a fluke, and anyone who wants to compete seriously down the line would do well to get started as soon as possible. Mastering the fundamentals of a game before the flood of new players arrives is a real advantage that you can't buy later.

That said, there are also reasons for caution. A game without an official launch is, by definition, subject to deep changes: characters getting reworked, systems disappearing and balance flipping from one patch to the next. For a competitive player that can be frustrating, and for an organization, risky. Investing in a roster for a game whose design is still shifting is a gamble, not a sure thing. On top of that, pre-launch hype is a double-edged sword: the higher it climbs, the harder the fall can be if the launch doesn't live up to expectations.

For content creators, on the other hand, we see more opportunities than risks. Right now is when the go-to voices of the Spanish-speaking community for a new game are being established. Whoever explains the game well today will be the trusted voice tomorrow. Our advice: jump in with curiosity, document the changes and don't get attached to any meta, because there's still a lot left to shift.

What do you think?

Deadlock is proving that you can win over the community before officially opening the doors, but it still has to turn that enthusiasm into a solid competitive scene. We'll be following it very closely. Would you be up for competing seriously in Deadlock before its launch, or would you rather wait until the game is finalized? Let us know in the team chat or on our Discord.