Gearbox Software attended PAX West 2024 to reveal a collection of concept art and new details for its recently announced looter-shooter sequel, Borderlands 4.
Each shot highlights new foreign locations for players to explore while also not revealing too much about how the fourth Borderlands game will shake up the formula. If there’s one thing to take away from the concept art drop it’s that Gearbox wants to give players a variety of areas to loot and shoot through. One image shows a smokey, candle-lit room decorated with glowing blue lighting, while another shows a small neon town surrounded by snowy mountains. You can see some of what Borderlands 4 has in store in the gallery below.
“The Borderlands universe is super interesting and there is so much to get to play with,” art director Adam May said when describing the concept images at PAX West. “It is a post-apocalyptic world but in the distant future, so it’s like high-tech but lo-fi. It creates all kinds of interesting opportunities with what we can do with tech, our weapons, our characters, and world in general.”
The Gearbox team teased even more at PAX West. For starters, the Borderlands 4 teaser that was revealed at gamescom Opening Night Live earlier this month is now confirmed to take place seconds following the conclusion of Borderlands 3’s story. With new parts of its universe to explore, the team has taken the opportunity to incorporate technology in ways that haven’t been touched on in the past.
“I can’t say much, but this has a lot to do with it here,” May said. “A lot of the things we haven’t had much of a chance to play with too much in the past is some of that high technology stuff.”
He continued, teasing that the Gearbox team got to play with more tech and color than ever before, calling Borderlands 4 “the most diverse and beautiful game we’ve ever made.” A Borderlands 4 release date has not been revealed, but it is expected to launch for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S sometime in 2025. Gearbox still has more work to do before revealing more, so in the meantime, be sure to catch up on some of the more popular fan theories that have spawned from that first teaser trailer.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
Few premises are more immediately appealing than Squirrel with a Gun’s. A sandbox game where you control a gun-toting rodent and wreak havoc on the local population? Yes, please! And that premise certainly delivers to some extent, with quite a few laugh-out-loud funny moments right out the gate and a lot of enjoyment to be found in the goofy adventure’s opening hours. But this wacky Sciuridae simulator isn’t sitting on a stockpile of comedic acorns, instead stuffing its cheeks with silly gags all in one go, before finding its stores empty as the winter season fast approaches. Compounding that short-lived mirth are fairly serious performance issues, including regular crashes that made me repeat long stretches, which really took the wind out of my furry wings. Squirrel with a Gun still offers a couple hours of amusing sandbox goofiness, and I eagerly await a more fleshed out sequel in the same vein as Goat Simulator 3, but this first shot misses the target once the joke has run its course.
Like Untitled Goose Game and Octodad: Dadliest Catch before it, Squirrel with a Gun is a zany sandbox game where you play a troublemaking animal who becomes a real problem for the humans around them. After obtaining a pistol from a clumsy government spook, you’re let loose on a suburban community to rob people at gunpoint, wantonly destroy personal property, and exercise your Second Amendment right to blast fools in the face like the bloodthirsty little varmint you are. It’s a good time! But that dopey bit is exactly as shallow as it sounds, and though it only took me four hours to roll credits, it took even less time for the laughs to peter out.
Fighting as a squirrel packing heat proves pretty hollow. You’ll use pistols, rifles, and even grenade launchers to send Agent Smith-looking sons of a gun to their doom – and they mostly stand around and let you do so while putting up very little resistance. They’re the only enemies to be found here, and they all go down in a couple of shots. One highlight is when you stun enemies and are then able to kill them off with a special finishing move, like peppering an enemy with lead from an uzi or swatting their grasping hands away while you perform gunjitsu like a furry John Wick. Unfortunately, there’s only one of these animations for each weapon, so like a lot of things in this adventure, the novelty runs out fairly quickly. There isn’t much to combat beyond these basics, and each weapon feels like just another indistinctive piece in the arsenal in a matter of seconds.
There are two boss fights to shake things up, however, where you take on giant military vehicles, like a tank. These encounters are quick sequences where you shoot at glowing spots and whittle down a health bar, which doesn’t provide much of a challenge, but they are at least a nice change of pace and have a few gags that made me smile. If more stuff like this made it into the story, it might have gone a long way to extend my enjoyment, but like everything else in this brief adventure, these antics are fleeting.
The puzzle-platforming, on the other hand, is much more satisfying. Firing your weapons as a means of double-jumping or otherwise propelling yourself into the air to overcome platforming challenges is far more interesting than any of the combat in Squirrel with a Gun. The submachine gun is a great way to keep yourself airborne for extended periods of time while crossing gaps, but nothing beats the rocket launcher in terms of pure height – it sends you sailing into the air to land (mostly) safely on faraway platforms. None of the platforming is particularly tricky, but making your fluffy avatar sail from place to place doesn’t get old nearly as quickly as the rest of the gameplay.
Unfortunately, Squirrel with a Gun’s good times are prone to interruption by technical issues that proved quite problematic, even during its brief runtime. I found myself staring at a frozen screen more than five times in as many hours, losing a good chunk of progress in the process, and was forced to repeat entire sections. By the end, I got into the fear-driven habit of rushing over to the static save points that can be found in each area – and a good thing too, because crashes seemed to happen more frequently in the back half of the adventure. And that’s not the only issue I ran into, either: One cutscene triggered and forgot to add the squirrel where he’s supposed to go, which broke everything and forced me to reset, and there were several times where my tiny buddy passed through geometry when moving at high speeds and sent me tumbling to the ground, which forced me to repeat certain platforming sections. Thankfully, Squirrel with a Gun already embraces a certain kind of chaotic energy, so the occasional goofy glitch isn’t the end of the world. But it did make some of the otherwise entertaining sections lose some of their luster once I had to replay them a third time in the wake of a crash.
Star Wars Outlaws is one of the biggest gaming releases of 2024, and IGN is your ultimate destination for the game. Whether you’re looking for guides to assist your journey through each of the massive planets or for a review to determine if you’re going to pick up the game, we’ve got you covered.
Detailed Map Genie Maps for Each Planet
The IGN team has Map Genie maps live for each planet in the game, ensuring you won’t miss a collectible or side quest in your playthrough! These maps will continue to be updated throughout the next week, but dozens of collectibles are already live across four planets!
Leading Game Help
IGN is your go-to for all the latest guides on Star Wars Outlaws, from a complete walkthrough to tips on Kessel Sabacc. Check out some of our available tips to help you get started below:
Be sure to stay tuned for more, as we’ll be updating and adding new guides well past launch day!
Star Wars Outlaws – The IGN Review
IGN Video Producer Tristan Ogilvie reviewed Star Wars Outlaws, giving the game a 7/10. In our review, he stated, “It’s ironic that Kay’s ship is called the Trailblazer, since there’s actually not a whole lot of ideas in Star Wars Outlaws that haven’t been done before in other action and open-world adventures. Instead, it’s quite like the Millenium Falcon: a bucket of bolts held together with repurposed parts and prone to breaking down, but at its best it’s more than capable of jolting your pleasure centres into Star Wars fan hyperspace.”
More Star Wars: Outlaws Content on IGN
Beyond game help, Map Genie, and our review, IGN has even more Star Wars Outlaws coverage available now and on the way! Our IGNFirst coverage dives deep into the game with exclusive commentary from the developers at Ubisoft Massive. Moving forward, we’ll also have plenty of breakdowns surrounding the game’s biggest features, analysis on the story, and all kinds of news surrounding the upcoming DLC.
Star Wars Collection at IGN Store
Last but not least, be sure to check out our Star Wars Collection at IGN Store. Whether you’re in the market for a new shirt, figure, or even hot sauce, there’s dozens of Star Wars-themed items available now.
Amazon Games said it “regrets confusion” over remarks by CEO Christoph Hartmann on voice acting and AI that drew sharp criticism online, seeking to clarify that it thinks generative AI needs to be used “responsibly” and calling actors “essential creative contributors.”
Amazon’s statement was in response to a lengthy comment from Hartmann, in which he mused on the difficulties games face with lengthy development cycles, and suggested that AI may “streamline processes” and help shorten the time it takes to make games. Asked for his thoughts on the SAG-AFTRA union strike seeking better AI protections, Hartmann responded in part:
“[W]hen we talk about AI, first of all, hopefully it will help us to have new gameplay ideas, which has nothing to do with taking work away from anyone. And especially for games, we don’t really have acting… The majority of the team sits in programming and that’s not going to go away because that’s all about innovation. If it takes something, it will be really the boring parts,” he said.
He then went on to opine that it may be helpful in localization, then added that he doesn’t believe any technology can “replace human creativity and the uniqueness… There’s always something special.”
While Hartmann sought to moderate his comments, they nevertheless provoked anger in some quarters. SAG-AFTRA Interactive Media Agreement negotiating committee chair Sarah Elmaleh was among those who took to X/Twitter to criticize Hartmann, saying, “What’s funny about this whole Amazon Games CEO quote is *I* thought it sounded like AI had written his statement. Turns out I’ve been unfair. To the AI.”
She subsequently provided a lengthy statement to IGN on behalf of SAG-AFTRA.
“Games don’t really have acting” is a wild statement. I’ve devoted most of my life to games performance, just like whole generations of new performers inspired by great games performers before them. Swaths of fans seek out these performers to tell them how much they connect with these characters through their performances, and the humanity they bring to them.
I’m an actor and performance director, not a CEO. But it seems to me that several of the largest companies in the world sitting down to negotiate with us aren’t doing it for their health — it’s because they recognize the proven viability of a games business model that requires human performance, needs union performers. That player connection and emotional investment I mention is correlated with billions and billions of dollars. Not all kinds of games require performance, but giving up using actors completely might just represent a significant financial pivot or sunk loss cost for our bargaining partners. But again, I’m not a fancy business person.
When CEOs do speak effectively and accurately on behalf of their company, they do so by listening to their employees. Whether game design, localization, programming, acting, anything – these highly specialized and professionalized workers are the ones who understand whether and how AI might be assistive or detrimental in their work. And workers should have the right and the means to advocate for the proper use of this tool. That’s what SAG-AFTRA is doing, why I’m proud and grateful to be part of a union for this craft I love, and why I fully support the organizing efforts of developers who likewise deserve their say in how we implement this technology to best serve this industry, to best serve videogames, to best serve our audiences. To this and all CEOs, including our own bargaining group — we stand ready to negotiate.
Asked for clarification on what Hartmann meant by his comments, and for their response to the fact that games such as New World utilize voice actors, an Amazon spokesperson told IGN:
We regret the confusion stemming from these comments. Of course games developed and published by Amazon Games include actors, who we consider to be essential creative contributors, both now and in the future. Like most developers and publishers we do not keep actors on staff, and Christoph’s comments were specific to our internal development teams. As with any tool, we believe generative AI needs to be used responsibly and we’re carefully exploring how we can use it to help solve the technical challenges development teams face.
Generative AI has become a flash point among artists, actors, and other creators throughout the games industry, many of whom fear that they will see their roles reduced or replaced in an already volatile industry. In July, the SAG-AFTRA union went on strike in an affort to gain stronger AI protections for video game voice actors.
In a follow-up comment in response to Amazon’s statement, Elmaleh said, “If Amazon Games would like to explore how AI can be used responsibly to solve technical challenges in game development as it relates to acting, we welcome them to a direct dialogue at any time. We have the blueprint ready.”
In the meantime, Amazon Games is trying to expand its footprint outside of MMOs, among other things serving as the publisher for Tomb Raider and the recently-announced King of Meat. Earlier this week, Amazon Games and Bandai Namco announced that Blue Protocol would no longer be coming to the U.S. New World: Aeternum, an updated console release of the game released in 2021, is set to release on October 15.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
Star Wars: Outlaws may focus on a new character – smuggler, thief, and all-around scoundrel Kay Vess – but it’s also a story set smack dab in the middle of the original Star Wars trilogy. The game takes place in between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. That leaves plenty of room for familiar heroes and villains to appear during the course of the game, and they definitely do.
How exactly does Outlaws fit into the bigger picture of the Original Trilogy? How does the game forge connections between Kay and iconic Star Wars heroes and villains? Here’s what you need to know.
Warning: this article contains full spoilers for Star Wars: Outlaws!
Lady Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn
In Outlaws, Kay slowly makes a name for herself and works her way up the chain of command in the game’s various criminal syndicates. It’s inevitable, then, that she’ll eventually encounter some familiar faces. The Star Wars franchise certainly has its share of memorable crime lords.
Kay eventually encounters Crimson Dawn’s leader, Lady Qi’ra, during her missions on the icy planet of Kijimi. Qi’ra was played by Emilia Clarke in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story (though she’s voiced by Tamaryn Payne here), where we learned that she was Han’s old flame before being recruited into Dryden Vos’ organization. The movie ends with Vos being killed off and Qi’ra traveling to meet the real boss of Crimson Dawn, Darth Maul.
If you only follow the Star Wars movies, you might not know how Qi’ra’s story has unfolded since then. She eventually takes control of Crimson Dawn herself after Maul is killed shortly before the events of A New Hope (as seen in the animated series Star Wars Rebels). Qi’ra has gone on to play a pivotal role in Marvel’s Star Wars comics; she’s at the center of 2021’s War of the Bounty Hunters crossover, where she steals the carbonite-frozen Han from Boba Fett and auctions him off to the highest bidder. In Outlaws, ND-5 even references that ill-fated auction in a conversation with Kay.
Qi’ra wants to free the galaxy from the tyranny of the Sith, which is what she’s referencing when she talks to Kay about true freedom.
As War of the Bounty Hunters and subsequent storylines establish, Qi’ra’s ultimate goal with Crimson Dawn is to use it to destabilize the Empire. A loyal pupil of Maul, Qi’ra understands better than most how Emperor Palpatine has been pulling the strings of the galaxy for decades. Qi’ra wants to free the galaxy from the tyranny of the Sith, which is what she’s referencing when she talks to Kay about true freedom. So although Qi’ra comes across as an antagonistic figure in this game, manipulating Kay and using her to help weaken the upstart Clan Ashiga, ultimately her goals are pretty noble.
What happens to Qi’ra after the events of Star Wars: Outlaws? As explored in comics like Star Wars: Crimson Reign and Star Wars: Hidden Empire, Qi’ra eventually makes her move against Palpatine. While unsuccessful in destroying the Sith herself, Qi’ra’s actions help give the Rebel Alliance a much-needed boost and lay the groundwork for Palpatine’s eventual defeat at the Battle of Endor. With Crimson Dawn in ruins, Qi’ra goes into hiding. Her post-Return of the Jedi story has yet to be told.
The Wrath of Darth Vader
Is it a proper Star Wars game without an appearance from the Dark Lord of the Sith? Darth Vader himself plays a small but key role in Outlaws as players learn the truth behind Sliro and Zerek Besh. It turns out that the galaxy’s newest and hottest criminal syndicate is actually just a front for the Imperial Security Bureau. Sliro himself is a soldier for the Empire, albeit one who has used his position to amass great wealth and power.
The ISB has played a major role in many Star Wars projects in the Disney era, most notably Star Wars: Jedi Survivor and the Andor series. This organization represents the other form of Imperial power during the Galactic Civil War. Star Destroyers and Death Stars are great, but when it comes to rooting out terrorists and Rebel sympathizers, sometimes a subtler hand is needed.
The goal of Zerek Besh is to build a vast intelligence network that can pierce the criminal underworld and reveal the identity of many hidden Rebel agents.
As Outlaws reveals, that’s exactly what Palpatine has tasked Sliro with accomplishing. The goal of Zerek Besh is to build a vast intelligence network that can pierce the criminal underworld and reveal the identity of many hidden Rebel agents. But although Sliro has managed to quickly build a powerful syndicate, he hasn’t actually produced the results Palpatine desires. That’s where Vader comes in. He’s a terrifying enforcer meant to remind Sliro that failure for someone in his position means death.
Vader ultimately seals Sliro’s doom by agreeing to hand control of Zerek Besh over to Jaylen Vrax (revealed to be Sliro’s estranged half-brother). Thanks to Kay, though, Jaylen is stopped before he can give over the valuable intel to the Empire, and Zerek Besh is effectively destroyed along with Jaylen himself.
In her own way, Kay herself winds up contributing to the downfall of the Empire in the build-up to Return of the Jedi. Zerek Besh’s destruction robs the ISB of a valuable resource and weakens what had been one of Palpatine’s most potent weapons against the Rebellion. The failure of Zerek Besh likely made Palpatine pivot all the more towards battlestations and weapons of mass destruction as a means of maintaining order. And we all know how that works out for him in the end…
Gambling With Lando Calrissian
While most of the core heroes of the Star Wars Original Trilogy remain MIA in Outlaws, busy with rebuilding the struggling Rebel Alliance, Kay does meet one key figure during her travels. It’s only fitting that she rubs elbows with fellow scoundrel and gambler Lando Calrissian (voiced by Lindsay Owen Pierre).
Lando appears to be up to his old tricks in the game, as he approaches Kay with a mission to recover a valuable artifact he gambled away in a high-stakes game of Sabacc. That’s a callback to the time Lando infamously lost the Millennium Falcon to Han Solo in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
But after winning the item back and helping a band of Rebels fight off an Imperial attack, Kay learns the truth behind her mission. Lando was using the artifact as a covert way of retrieving intelligence from a Rebel spy planted in the criminal underworld. His days of idly gambling away his most valuable possessions are behind him.
This questline gives greater insight into Lando’s role in the Rebellion before becoming “General Calrissian” in Return of the Jedi. At this point in the timeline, Lando and Chewbacca have tried and failed to liberate Han from Jabba the Hutt’s palace, and Lando hasn’t yet taken up a cover identity as one of Jabba’s palace guards. He’s simply biding his time, fighting alongside the Rebels and proving he has the heart of a hero.
Lando also shows us what Kay could become if she, like him, commits herself fully to a cause bigger than herself. As mentioned earlier, Kay winds up dealing a significant blow to the Empire without necessarily even meaning to. What could she accomplish if she put her mind to it? For now, though, Kay is concerned with protecting her own crew and making a few credits wherever she can. Maybe she’ll think bigger in the sequel.
We know this won’t be the only encounter between Kay and Lando. The first DLC story campaign for Outlaws, “Wild Card,” will reunite the two as Kay enters a Sabacc tournament while working for the Empire.
Meeting the Future Resistance
Outlaws may be set during the Original Trilogy, but there is one familiar character from the Sequel Trilogy who appears during the course of the game. During a mission on the planet Akiva, Kay encounters a teenage mechanic named Temmin Wexley (voiced by Sam Scherzer). Fans may know him better as hotshot Resistance pilot Snap Wexley (played by Greg Grunberg in the movies).
The game builds on the origin story for Temmin that was established in the Star Wars Aftermath novels. At this point in his life, Temmin is on his own, with his father having been captured by the Empire and his mother serving in the Rebellion. He’s a humble mechanic who builds droids to keep himself company. Eventually, though, Temmin will follow in his mother’s footsteps and join the Rebels, training under no less an authority on piloting starships than Wedge Antilles. The rest is history.
The Hondo Ohnaka Easter Egg
Outlaws features an Easter egg that seems to be directly setting up future DLC missions. During one of Kay’s encounters with Tatooine’s Sheriff Quint, Quint references the infamous pirate Hondo Ohnaka. Hondo is basically ubiquitous in animated series like The Clone Wars and Rebels, and it seems he’s going to make his video game debut soon.
This Easter egg seems to be setting up the game’s second DLC campaign, dubbed “A Pirate’s Fortune.” There, Kay will team up with Hondo to seek out a legendary treasure. But can she actually trust this notoriously self-serving criminal? Probably not.
Which iconic Star Wars character should Kay Vess meet next? Cast your vote in our poll above and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Warner Bros. Games has announced the closure of mobile game Harry Potter: Magic Awakened just over a year after its global launch.
Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, a collectible card role-playing game developed by Zen Studio, launched in the west in June 2023 courtesy of Warner Bros. Games’ Portkey Games publishing label. In the game you play as a new student at Hogwarts and collect cards you deploy as spells in duels.
Harry Potter: Magic Awakened was removed from the iOS App Store and Google Play Store on August 26, with servers running until October 29, 2024. It is now no no longer possible to make in-game purchases.
“We have shared the magical journey of Harry Potter: Magic Awakened with millions of fans around the globe,” Warner Bros. said in a statement published to its support website.
“The time has come for Harry Potter: Magic Awakened to officially close its servers in the Americas, Europe and Oceania territories on October 29, 2024. The game will continue to be available for players in Asia, including Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, as well as other select Asia and MENA territories.
“We’d like to thank those in the Americas, Europe and Oceania for playing, and are incredibly proud and honored that so many fans all around the world have enjoyed Harry Potter: Magic Awakened with such enthusiasm and passion.”
The time has come for Harry Potter: Magic Awakened to officially close its servers.
Already players have expressed their disappointment in the news, asked for refunds, and called on Warner Bros. to allow NetEase to publish the game in the west or enable the transfer of servers. Warner Bros. ruled out server transfers and refunds in an FAQ, and declined to comment when contacted by IGN on the possibility of NetEase taking on the game in the west.
It’s worth noting that the closure of Harry Potter: Magic Awakened comes ahead of the launch of Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, a new game based on the fictional sport. That’s out on September 3 across PC and console.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Ubisoft has released a hotfix for the PC version of open world space game Star Wars Outlaws, which brings it to version 1.1.1. and aims to improve performance.
The game’s offiical X/Twitter account posted to say version 1.1.1. would arrive for PC players only and look to address “known issues” including VRAM improvements and overall stability improvements.
“Thank you for continuing to share your feedback to us – we hear you and we’re working hard to make sure the Outer Rim is the best it can be for you to explore,” Ubisoft said.
Falling more in line with the Star Wars Jedi series compared to the likes of Star Wars Battlefront or Star Wars Squadrons, Star Wars Outlaws is a solely single-player experience that puts players in the shoes of wannabe scoundrel Kay Vess as she looks to make her mark on the galaxy far, far away.
In our 7/10 review of the game, IGN said: “Star Wars Outlaws is a fun intergalactic heist adventure with great exploration, but it’s hindered by simple stealth, repetitive combat, and a few too many bugs at launch.”
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
Nintendo has shared another lengthy trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, this time focusing on the spooky Still World and Link-like combat.
The trailer lasts around five minutes and outlines the purple voids shown in the reveal trailer for Echoes of Wisdom, in which both Zelda’s father the King of Hyrule and the usual hero Link get trapped. This place is called the Still World and players must navigate it as Zelda to save Hyrule.
The levels here have Zelda traversing over destroyed land floating in space and exploring more dangerous dungeons. Nasty bosses are usually at the end of these, and the trailer shows Zelda fighting them in different ways with her Echoes, which are recreations of objects and creatures encountered on the adventure. Myriad different biomes are available in the Still World, including lava zones, underwater areas, and more.
Zelda also has access to something called Sword Fighter Form, which essentially turns her into usual The Legend of Zelda protagonist Link. She can only enter this form for a short amount of time, but doing so sees her don a sword and shield and even a little hat.
The trailer also shows off someone called Dampè, a Hyrule residents who makes clockwork gizmos called automatons. These metal beasties can be summoned by Zelda and wound up to be used in combat and many other situations in the game.
Echoes of Wisdom was revealed on June 18, 2024 with a release date just a few months later: September 26. It features brand new gameplay styles using Zelda’s skillset and promises huge levels of variance between playthroughs.
Valve has released a major patch for its invite only hero shooter Deadlock which adds wall jumping and much more.
Though it only comes in at 683MB, the patch includes a long list of changes large and small. Wall jumping is perhaps the most notable and exciting additions, and players can do so without consuming stamina by pushing their input direction away from the wall.
In addition, four teleporters have changed locations and will now remain closed for the first 10 minutes, two bounce pads have been added next to sideland walkers at the cultural center and courthouse, and several buildings have changed size to make their rooftops out of bounds. The full patch notes are available below.
Deadlock is a six versus six, third person hero shooter with a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) twist, taking inspiration from genre classics such as Leage of Legends, Dota 2, and Heroes of the Storm.
Valve seemingly looked to keep it a secret for weeks despite data showing that thousands of players were already online, but has now acknowledged its existence proper with an official Steam page. It’s still invite only, however, with players only able to join if invited directly by Valve or referred by someone already playing.
It’s a certified hit despite this, having already crossed 100,000 concurrent players. Data from player tracking website SteamDB shows Deadlock crossed the 100,000 milestone on August 29, 2024, with exactly 106,447 players online at the same time
Deadlock 8-29-24 Update Patch Notes
[ General Changes ]
Added a new Profile page that displays a breakdown of recent matches and all-time player and hero statistics (Note: the newly added stats ‘Souls Collected’ and ‘Healing’ are starting at 0 for all players)
Added Report button to ESC menu player list to allow reporting of teammates in-game
Improved visibility of report button on post-game screen
You can now drag-and-drop items between categories in Builds
Added search to the Public Builds list, you can search by keyword within build names
Newly published hero builds now store the language of the build
Added ‘Show All Languages’ checkbox in Public Builds list, can be unchecked to only see builds in your language
Fixed issue with builds list not updating when changing between heroes in sandbox
Added localization support for German, Polish, and Korean.
Matchmaking window is now open 1 hour earlier on weekdays and weekends
Players can only pause once per game
A team can only pause at most 3 times in total amongst all the players
The game application now flashes when the game is unpaused
Various client and server performance improvements
Added streamer setting to the options panel. Causes player names in the game UI panels to be hidden.
Added a Melee Trainer bot in the ‘gym’ area of hero sandbox
Added new “Game out of Date” status message at the top of the hud, so you can quickly know when there is an update rather than finding out at queue time
Added a checkbox on the post game survey to make it not show again in the future
Items now show their spirit power impact when using alt
Fixed profile match history not remembering the history page you were on
Added Heal Amp and Debuff Resist to the Vitality stats in the shop
Hero details on the dashboard now show spirit information with alt, rather than requiring you to be in-game (this was added in a hotfix patch recently)
The game will now prevent any quick ability upgrades for 2 seconds after death, to help prevent against accidental upgrades
Can now reliably spectate a friend’s game via the Friendlist
Miscellaneous fixes to friends and party menus
Added unavailable state to Zipline UI when zipline is on damage cooldown
Spectating controls now use Left/Right mouse buttons to switch between players on a team and space to switch teams. This now works with free cursor mode, and you can still click on portraits/minimap to spectate individual heroes.
Added new respawn countdown music 5 seconds before respawn
Added alternate shop music which plays in the neutral shop
Spectator count is now shown in-game
Player names are now shown to spectators
Added object motion blur
Optimized performance of distance field ambient occlusion
Fixed selling an item not removing charges correctly. Now you can’t buy Extra Charge and immediately sell it and keep that readied charge.
Fixed some tooltips not showing golden statue bonuses if it wasn’t the direct stat (i.e. you got fire rate but bullets per second didn’t show the golden statue)
Fixed Sharpshooter showing up in stats for bullet velocity even though it doesn’t increase your bullet velocity
Fixed a bug that caused items in the build page to not be dimmed when the shop was out of range
Fixed bug with Lash not hearing his own Ground Strike impact explosion sound
Added new effects for Withering Whip
Updated Ethereal Shift effects
Fixed the disarmed spinner not showing up on your crosshair when you get disarmed
Fixed parts of Shiv’s coat being considered a headshot
Build list will now refresh if you change heroes in the sandbox
Fixed Zipline speed from Base Guardian killing and Zip booster ability not stacking properly
Fixed Base Guardian boost not properly doing its ramp up and instead instantly being fast
Added custom effects for Abram’s Seismic Impact T3 buff
Fixed a bug where someone could be holding down M1 and still be attacking when the magic carpet arrives
Updated Lash Grapple cast sound
Added Decay impact sound
Removed wind and city ambient looping sounds
Volume and playback tweaks to one shot ambient sounds
Removed vent sounds in places where vents had been removed
Fixed some spectator music bugs
Updated negative feedback sound for clarity
Added hit confirm audio functionality to Warden’s Alchemical Flask
Updated Majestic Leap sound
Updated bounce pad sound
Improved some Binding Word effects to be less noisy
Increased charged melee volume and falloff for victims
Reduced likelihood of irrelevant announcer and hero dialog lines playing during combat exchanges
Improved clarity of Dynamo Singularity sound for team and opponents
Updated Viscous primary fire sound
Soul jar return effect tinted red like minimap to make it more clear it’s the return location
Player’s low health screen effect more visible for longer if you’re below 20% of your max HP
Teleporter model and effect updated
Updated Alchemical Flask projectile effect
Fixed Bebop being able to sprint while his gun is spun up
Added new voice content for Seven and Lash
Added Shadow Weave cast and ambush sounds
Fixed bullets hitting the world immediately when looking sharply upward
Fixed Sinner’s Sacrifice not always correctly animating
Fixed an issue where some kill lines that were only intended for the killer were playing for the victim as well (killstreak taunts still play for everyone)
Some heroes can now comment on being alone in enemy territory, losing sight of an injured enemy, or leaving their teammates alone in a lane
Fixed a bunch of minor typos / grammar errors in various texts
Added ‘Express’ state to zipline indicators when speed had increased from defeating Enemy Base Guardians
[ Misc Gameplay ]
Added wall jumping (does not consume stamina, requires input direction away from the wall, can be done once)
Moved a flex slot from “Set of enemy Base Guardians” to “All Enemy Lane Guardians”
Added ropes to some buildings to let you climb up (hold jump button to latch onto them). Can shoot while hanging on them.
A pair of teleporters has been added to the outer lanes at the midpoint (near the three red neutral creeps)
Four teleporters have changed locations
The upper floor teleporters have moved to the street level
The interior teleporters have moved to the Bodega building and the Theater
Teleporters are closed for the first 10 minutes (they look visually closed)
Guardians no longer give 1 AP
AP is now added to the following Soul levels: 3500, 5200, 8000, 9700
Parry cooldown reduced from 6s to 5s
Urn delivery sprint bonus increased from +2 to +3
Walker min range to attack increased from 30m to 32m
Golden Statues drop rate increased by 6%
Replaced some bounce pads with ropes if the purpose was to go straight up
Added two bounce pads next to sidelane walkers at cultural center and courthouse
Added bounce pad from the Amber Orange/Sapphire Blue Walker walkway to the low roofs toward the Walker.
Removed some rooftop zap volumes that damage players
Several buildings have been made taller to make their rooftops out of bounds
Several buildings have been made shorter to make them more accessible
A few of the buildings have new passageways at higher floors that are along the way to the rooftop
Breakable containers have been added to the new playable rooftops
Juke closets have replaced the previous location of the upper floor teleporters
The half of the underground tunnel towards the outer lanes has been made wider
Tunnel walls now have the color of the lane that the exit is closest to
Removed the archway leading to the underground shop
Placed temporary signage for interior buildings and storefronts for future reference
Two upper floor juke spots have been converted to passages through buildings
Added a new upper floor juke spot to each side
Stairwell from Amber Orange/Sapphire Blue Walker catwalk to the courtyard now less cramped
Lowered the statue pedestals in the inner lanes outside of Mid
[ Weapon Items ]
Monster Rounds: Bullet Resist vs NPC increased from 30% to 35%
Hollow Point Rounds: Spirit Shield increased from +80 to +85
Restorative Shot: Heal from heroes increased from 30 to 35
High-Velocity Mag: Bullet Velocity reduced from +35% to +30% (now has an upgrade)
Active Reload: Lifesteal reduced from 30% to 22%
Active Reload: Buff duration reduced from 8s to 7s
Kinetic Dash: Active Fire Rate reduced from 30% to 25%
Long Range: Now grants +90 Bullet Shield
Melee Charge: Now grants +1 HP regen
Swift Striker: Now grants +10% Ammo
Titanic Magazine: Bullet Armor increased from 10% to 15%
Toxic Bullets: Heal Reduction increased from -55% to -65%
Toxic Bullets: Bleed damage reduced from 6% to 5%
Toxic Bullets: Now grants +100 Health
Intensifying Magazine: Now steadily ramps back down to 0% when you stop shooting rather than instantly emptying
Warp Stone: Active Bullet Resistance reduced from 40% to 30%
Sharpshooter: Now grants +175 Bullet Shield
Sharpshooter: No longer provides bonus headshot damage
Sharpshooter: Weapon damage increased from 60% to 70%
Burst Fire: Active duration increased from 3s to 4s
Escalating Resilience: Max Bullet Resist increased from 36% to 40%
Alchemical Fire: Cooldown reduced from 28s to 26s
Heroic Aura: Active duration increased from 5s to 6s
Added new T3 Weapon Item, Headhunter: Requires High-Velocity Mag. Grants +50% Bullet Velocity, +15% Weapon Damage and +150 Bullet Shield. Passive cooldown: Landing a headshot on heroes deals bonus +140 Damage, heals you for +8% Max HP and grants +2 m/s for 3 seconds. Cooldown: 6 seconds.
Siphon Bullets: Weapon Damage reduced from 40% to 28%
Frenzy: Ammo increased from +9 to +12
Lucky Shot: Proc chance increased from 30% to 35%
Ricochet: Bounce damage increased from 50% to 60%
Ricochet: Fixed not applying spirit bonus damage from Vindicta and Wraith abilities
[ Vitality Items ]
Melee Lifesteal: Effectiveness vs non-heroes increased from 35% to 40%
Healing Rite: Cooldown reduced from 65s to 60s
Divine Barrier: No longer grants +7% Bullet Resist
Divine Barrier: No longer grants +1.5 Health Regen
Divine Barrier: Now grants +1 Sprint
Divine Barrier: Now grants +75 Health
Divine Barrier: Now grants +8% Ability Range
Combat Barrier: Now also grants +8% Fire Rate while active
Enchanter’s Barrer: Now also grants +8% Cooldown Reduction while active
Reactive Barrier: Duration reduced from 13s to 9s
Healing Booster: Now has also 15% Heal Reduction Resist (Leech no longer has it)
Healing Booster: No longer has +6% Bullet Resist
Superior Stamina: Air Jump/Dash Distance reduced from +40% to +30%
Metal Skin: Cooldown reduced from 25s to 22s
Rescue Beam: Channel duration reduced from 3s to 2.5s
Lifestrike: Effectiveness vs non-heroes increased from 35% to 40%
Fortitude: Damage taken duration threshold reduced from 12s to 11s
Veil Walker: Cooldown reduced from 18s to 17s
Majestic Leap: Cooldown reduced from 26s to 24s
Leech: No longer has 30% Heal Reduction Resist
Unstoppable: Can now be cast while channeling
Unstoppable: Cooldown reduced from 65s to 60s
Soul Rebirth: Cooldown reduction increased from +15% to +18%
Soul Rebirth: Now grants +12 Spirit
Soul Rebirth: Fixed being able to purchase globally during its brief respawn period
Soul Rebirth: Fixed the camera moving away from the player if you will respawn, rather than following the ragdoll
Colossus: Slow increased from 25% to 35%
Shadow Weave: Spirit Shield health increased from +200 to +300
Shadow Weave: Spot radius reduced from 20m to 18m
Phantom Strike: Cast range reduced from 30m to 25m
[ Spirit Items ]
Ammo Scavenger: Health increased from +50 to +60
Extra Charge: Cooldown reduction increased from +8% to +10%
Spirit Strike: Debuff duration increased from 8s to 13s
Spirit Strike: Spirit Shield increased from +85 to +100
Extra Spirit: Health increased from +25 to +35
Withering Whip: No longer grants +20% Ammo
Withering Whip: Now grants +8% Fire Rate
Withering Whip: Fire Rate slow reduced from -40% to -30%
Withering Whip: Cooldown reduced from 40s to 25s
Quicksilver: No longer has +10% Reload Time
Suppressor: Health regen reduced from 3 to 2.5
Suppressor: Fire Rate reduction reduced from -30% to -25%
Improved Cooldown: Cooldown Reduction increased from 15% to 16%
Duration Extender: Health regen increased from 1.5 to 1.75
Slowing Hex: Projectile speed increased by 30%
Slowing Hex: Cooldown reduced from 27s to 25s
Rapid Recharge: Charge count reduced from +3 to +2
Rapid Recharge: Faster Time Between Charges increased from +40% to +55%
Rapid Recharge: Cooldown for charged abilities increased from +20% to +25%
Knockdown: Delay reduced from 3s to 2s
Knockdown: Stun reduced from 1.25s to 0.9s
Knockdown: Cast range increased from 35m to 45m
Silence Glyph: Duration reduced from 3.5s to 3s
Torment Pulse: Spirit damage scaling increased from 0.2 to 0.24
Surge of Power: Imbued Ability Spirit Power increased from +28 to +34
Superior Duration: Non-Imbued duration increased from +24% to +26%
Improved Spirit: Health Regen increased from 2 to 3
Improved Spirit: Health increased from +75 to +100
Improved Reach: Spirit Resist increased from +10% to +12%
Curse: Duration reduced from 3.5 to 3.25
Magic Carpet: You are now unslowable while on the Magic Carpet
Magic Carpet: Cooldown reduced from 40s to 30s
Magic Carpet: Barriers now last for 16s
Echo Shard: Now grants +8 Spirit Power
Escalating Exposure: Base Spirit Resist reduction increased from -12% to -15%
Refresher: Now grants +8% Bullet Resist
Boundless Spirit: Sprint reduced from +4 to +3
Boundless Spirit: Now grants +25% Weapon Damage
[ Heroes ]
Abrams: Infernal Resilience Regeneration Time increased from 16s to 18s (this is a nerf)
Abrams: Now does pull ups on the zipline once again (this is a buff)
Abrams: Fixed Shoulder Charge sometimes stunning enemies on stairs
Abrams: Fixed Seismic Impact sometimes not going to the area selected
Bebop: Gun range increased from 30m to 32m
Bebop: Hook now only targets enemies when used by default. If you use with alt cast (middle mouse) it will be ally only mode.
Bebop: Hyper Beam can now be canceled by using Parry
Dynamo: Rejuvenating Aurora can now be canceled by using Parry
Dynamo: Fixed Kinetic Pulse not traveling properly when cast near corners
Dynamo: Gun damage reduced from 15 to 13
Dynamo: Singularity cast time increased from 0.1 to 0.2
Dynamo: Singularity range reduced from 9m to 8m
Grey Talon: Charged Shot collision size reduced by 8%
Grey Talon: Charged Shot base damage reduced from 105 to 100
Grey Talon: Charged Shot T2 reduced from +70 to +65
Grey Talon: Fire Rate now scales with Spirit (0.25)
Grey Talon: Can now use multiple air dashes while using Rain of Fire
Grey Talon: Immobilizing Trap root duration reduced from 2s to 1.25s
Grey Talon: Immobilizing Trap now applies a 50% movement slow for 1 seconds after the root
Grey Talon: Immobilizing Trap T2 changed from +1s Root to +2s Slow
Haze: Base bullet damage increased from 5.3 to 5.6
Haze: Sleep Dagger impact damage happens immediately, rather than after the brief drowsy period
Haze: Sleep Dagger drowsy period before sleep kicks in increased from 0.25 to 0.35
Haze: Sleep Dagger cooldown reduced from 27s to 25s
Haze: Smoke Bomb radius reduced from 20m to 18m
Haze: Fixation T2 max stacks increased from +30 to +40
Haze: Bullet Dance now provides +2 Weapon Damage in the base ability (similar to the T1)
Infernus: Reduced vertical reach on Flame Dash dps
Infernus: Flame Dash speed is now affected by slows
Infernus: Flame Dash trail now gets wider with Ability Range bonus
Infernus: Flame Dash T1 duration reduced from 7s to 6s
Infernus: Catalyst Damage Amplification reduced from 30% to 25%
Infernus: Catalyst T3 Damage Amplification increased from +10% to +15%
Infernus: Catalyst T2 reduced from +20% Lifesteal to +15%
Ivy: Bullet damage growth per boon reduced from 0.55 to 0.5
Ivy: Health growth per boon reduced from +41 to +35
Ivy: Watcher’s Covenant T2 reduced from +3 m/s to +2
Ivy: Air Drop no longer silences allies
Ivy: Air Drop now causes allies to deal 50% less damage while being carried
Ivy: Air Drop movement adjusted to be a little less frantic
Ivy: Fixed Air Drop bomb disappearing if you cancel your ultimate after dropping it but before it lands
Ivy: Air Drop self cast cast time increased from 1s to 2s
Ivy: Air Drop max move speed reduced from 20 to 18
Ivy: During Air Drop flight you can pitch up and down with Dash/Crouch buttons
Ivy: Fixed getting stuck under bridges and in buildings while Air Drop flying
Kelvin: Bullet radius increased from 5 to 6
Kelvin: Base health growth per boon increased from +45 to +50
Kelvin: Arctic Beam max slow increased from 60% to 80%
Kelvin: Arctic Beam now affects soul orbs (secures/denies them)
Kelvin: Arctic Beam T3 range reduced from 15m to 13m
Kelvin: Fixed Ice Path jitter
Kelvin: Frost Grenade T2 Heal increased from 135 to 145
Lash: Improved firing arm position to be a little bit more out of the way from the reticle
Lash: Grapple no longer gives a stamina charge on use
Paradox: Fixed Paradoxical Swap still going through even if Paradox dies during it
Pocket: Barrage amp reduced from 8% to 7% per stack
Pocket: Fixed Barrage amp visual not showing properly
Seven: Static Charge radius increased from 5m to 6m
Seven: Static Charge T2 radius increased from +7m to +8m
Seven: Storm Cloud spirit power scaling reduced from 1.1 to 0.8
Seven: Storm Cloud time to reach maximum radius reduced from 6s to 3s
Seven: Storm Cloud Now provides +20% Bullet Resistance in the base ability
Shiv: Bullet damage growth per boon reduced from 0.5 to 0.4
Shiv: Gun falloff range reduced by 10%
Shiv: Health growth per boon reduced from +41 to +35
Shiv: Slice and Dice T2 reduced from +100 to +85
Shiv: Slice and Dice T3 now considers creeps for only half value
Shiv: Bloodletting deferred damage reduced from 35% to 30%
Shiv: The targeting UI for Shiv’s Killing Blow is now more clear about when the target will be killed
Vindicta: Stake duration reduced from 2.25s to 2s
Vindicta: Crow Familiar Spirit Power duration scaling reduced from 0.05 to 0.04
Vindicta: Fixed left clicks sometimes deselecting the ability when charges aren’t ready
Viscous: Primary Fire redesigned to make it more usable and have improved damage and scaling
Viscous: Now has an Alt Fire that has limited range, but deals AOE damage that cannot headshot
Viscous: Splatter Spirit Scaling increased from 1.4 to 1.5
Viscous: Splatter Damage on 2nd and 3rd hit increased from 66% and 33% to 70% and 50%
Viscous: Puddle Punch damage increased from 100% to 110% of Light Melee
Viscous: Puddle Punch T2 is now +50 damage and +20% movement slow (was -10s cooldown)
Viscous: Puddle Punch T3 is now -12s cooldown (was +80 damage and +20% movement slow)
Viscous: Puddle Punch: delay before punch increased from 0.25s to 0.35s
Viscous: Goo Ball Spirit Scaling increased from 1.05 to 1.3
Viscous: Goo Ball acceleration increased
Viscous: Goo Ball base turn radius and turn radius after bouncing has been increased
Viscous: Fixed a bug where Goo Ball would have the direction and trail particle stuck on
Warden: Base movement speed reduced from 6.5 to 6
Warden: Fire Rate scaling with spirit reduced from 0.375 Fire Rate per Spirit to 0.3
Yamato: Power Slash max damage time requirement reduced from 1.5s to 1.4s
Yamato: Power Slash collision radius reduced by 8%
Yamato: Crimson Slash radius increased from 12m to 13m
Yamato: Fixed being able to die during Shadow Transformation if hit by Grey Talon’s Owl
Yamato: Fixed some cases where Flying Strike could get into a stuck state
Yamato: Fixed some cases where Crimson Slash would appear to be cast when it wasn’t
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
Valve hero shooter Deadlock is a certified hit on Steam, somehow crossing 100,000 concurrent players while still being invite only.
Data from player tracking website SteamDB shows Deadlock crossed the 100,000 milestone on August 29, 2024, with exactly 106,447 players online at the same time. Its popularity has been steadily increasing throughout August and will surely continue to do so, especially as the weekend approaches.
But what makes Deadlock’s success particularly interesting and definitely strange is that it’s not officially out yet. Valve seemingly looked to keep the game a secret for weeks despite, again, SteamDB showing that thousands of players were already online.
It was released in this beta or playtesting equivalent state and still remains that way, with players only able to join if invited directly by Valve or referred by someone already playing. Those who did get in were asked to “not share anything about the game with anyone.”
Valve has actually acknowledged Deadlock’s existence now, however, by taking down that request and unveiling its official Steam page. “Deadlock is a multiplayer game in early development,” it says, still vaguely.
Deadlock is actually a six versus six, third person hero shooter with a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) twist, taking inspiration from genre classics such as Leage of Legends, Dota 2, and Heroes of the Storm.
Valve hasn’t shared when players can join freely or when a full release may come, but as its numbers grow, the “invite only” status becomes less and less meaningful.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
