Despite still being in closed alpha, Deadlock consistently attracts a six-figure number of total players on Steam at any given time. One of these early adopters is Marvel Rivals developer Cliff Shuldt.
A level designer for NetEase‘s upcoming hero shooter, Shuldt shared in their X/Twitter post: “Since I have been enjoying Deadlock so much, I decided to create a custom 3v3 layout in my free time. The team behind Deadlock has made something truly special,” they added.
On the dedicated Steam Community page for Intersection, Shuldt elaborated on their goals for the custom map. “The high-level goal for the map is to have two lanes that converge in the middle, allowing players to engage in team fights early on,” they explained. “After that, players will have to commit to one lane or decide to split their team up between both lanes,” they continued.
Since I have been enjoying #Deadlock so much I decided to make a 3v3 layout in my free time. Started this first block out about a week ago. Played it for the first time tonight! @valvesoftware the team on Deadlock has made something truly special. pic.twitter.com/aNxnOGXZVg
— Cliff Schuldt (@blackpicture13) September 13, 2024
Currently, Deadlock players have access to one official map in-game, known as The Cursed Apple, which is divided into four lanes instead of Intersection’s two. This configuration divides each team of six into pairs and solo laners, although players have the freedom to reposition as they wish.
If implemented officially, this format would dramatically alter Deadlock‘s meta. While it is likely that Valve will introduce additional maps in future updates, the developers have not yet shared any specific plans regarding that.
Intersection features two lanes converging at the center of the map.
Feedback on Deadlock’s subreddit suggests that players are enthusiastic about exploring alternative gameplay methods, with many comparing Intersection to the similarly-structured but now-defunct Twisted Treeline map from League of Legends.
Valve has not announced a timeline for when Deadlock will exit closed alpha, but the team continues to provide frequent updates. A patch released on September 26 introduced a new character, Mirage, along with anti-cheat measures that humorously penalize known offenders by transforming them into frogs. No, really.
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