Valves Deadlock Over 170000 Gamers and Nods to Portal 2

Deadlock recently hit an impressive milestone with over 160,000 concurrent players, a remarkable feat for a game still in an invite-only phase.

This past weekend, Deadlock saw a surge in player numbers, reaching a peak of 171,490 concurrent players according to SteamDB. What’s astonishing is that the game isn’t even officially launched yet. To get in, you need a manual invitation from current players.

If you’re curious about Deadlock’s future, check out how Valve plans to revamp the MMR system for better matchmaking in our matchmaking improvements article. You can also read about the latest hero rebalances and technical fixes introduced in the recent update.

Portal 2 Easter Eggs and New Features in Deadlock

Beyond these rising numbers, Deadlock is having fun with nods to Valve’s legacy. For instance, the in-game teleporters, which allow heroes to move instantly across the map, now reference the title screen of Portal 2—a subtle thematic touch that hasn’t gone unnoticed by fans.

Some Twitter users are speculating if this means Deadlock includes its own version of Aperture Science or Black Mesa facilities. It’s a fair question, considering Team Fortress 2, another Valve game, already features nods to these iconic institutions.

The teleporters now have a logo on them that seem to reference the Portal 2 logo 😲 pic.twitter.com/xGsn4TQf0K

— Deadlock Intel (@IntelDeadlock) August 31, 2024

In addition, Deadlock recently got its first major update, with over 100 changes. Notably, the ability to pause in online matches has been restricted to three pauses per team to ensure smooth gameplay.

Source: SteamDB

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