Deadlock, Valve's MOBA-shooter, has seen a significant player decline, with peak online counts now hovering around 18,000-20,000, a far cry from its initial peak exceeding 170,000. In response to this, Valve has announced a strategic shift in its development approach.

To improve the development process and deliver more substantial updates, Valve will move away from its previous bi-weekly update schedule. Future Deadlock patches will be released on a flexible, non-fixed timeline, allowing developers more time to thoroughly implement and test changes. While major updates will become less frequent, developers assure players that hotfixes will continue to be deployed as needed.

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The developers acknowledged that the previous two-week update cycle, while beneficial, didn't allow sufficient time for proper implementation and testing. This change in strategy aims to address this issue and ultimately result in higher-quality updates.

Despite the player count drop, Valve maintains that Deadlock is not in jeopardy. The game is still in early access and lacks a release date. The current focus, according to the developers, is on creating a polished and enjoyable experience, prioritizing quality over speed. This approach mirrors Valve's past development strategies with other titles, such as Dota 2. The company's confidence suggests that a successful launch will ultimately follow, even with the current slower development pace. The potential impact of a new Half-Life project on Deadlock's timeline remains to be seen.