Not having Deadlock on console would be a huge mistake

Deadlock is the talk of gaming, with players worldwide trying to get into the MOBA’s PC-exclusive playtest. With console gamers left out in the cold, many are wondering if Deadlock will arrive on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Here’s why it would be a huge mistake if it doesn’t.

As things stand, if you want to jump into the action and try out Valve’s new hero shooter, you’ll need to receive an invitation to Deadlock’s early access period. Unfortunately, this playtest is only available on PC. And if history is any indication, anyone who doesn’t have access to a computer is about to be left out in the cold.

Deadlock on consoles is unlikely

It’s been 12 years since Valve launched a game on consoles, going all the way back to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive which was released on PS3 and Xbox 360. While the game blew up on PC, it never caught on with console players, who stuck with existing FPS titles like CoD and Halo.

On top of that, Valve founder Gabe Newell admitted that they found the experience of developing games for consoles frustrating. He told a media roundtable in 2017 that the inability to drop updates whenever they want was a major issue. “We get really frustrated working in walled gardens. There have been cases where we’ve updated products five times in a day,” Newell said.

“When we did the original iOS Steam App, right, we shipped it, we got a whole bunch of feedback and like the next day, we’re ready to do an update. We weren’t able to get that update out for six months! And we couldn’t find out why they wouldn’t release it! They wouldn’t tell us. This is the life that you have in these environments.

“I’m sure that other people are wildly successful in those environments, but our DNA tends to not work well when someone is trying to insert a lot of process between us and our customers.”

Not releasing it on consoles is an error

Despite their reasoning, I still believe it would be a huge mistake not to launch Deadlock on console. If you take a look at Overwatch, which is likely to be the game’s biggest rival, it still ranks highly in most played lists for both PlayStation and Xbox. In fact, it was in the top 20 most-played games on both platforms. That shows there is a big audience for these games, and not tapping into that leaves Valve incredibly reliant on the PC market, and should fans move on to the next hyped multiplayer FPS, it could leave Deadlock in a difficult place.

On top of that, dropping updates on consoles is a much smoother and faster process than it was before. Games like Fortnite and Call of Duty have proven that you can release patches on PC and consoles simultaneously to great success. That allows fans to play the same version of the game, no matter which platform they use.

With improved systems and a loyal fanbase of the genre ready for a new title to sink their teeth into, it would be a huge mistake not to launch Deadlock on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. With Valve staying silent on the matter, we won’t know how they feel until early access ends.