Deadlock Modder Sells $20 Skins While Valve Hasn’t Made Any Profit Yet

In a surprising move, a modder has begun marketing a $20 skin for Valve’s yet-to-be-monetized free-to-play shooter, Deadlock. This bold initiative comes despite the game having not generated any revenue from players since its closed beta launch in 2024.

Currently, Valve’s hero shooter is completely free with no in-game store, battle pass options, or any other forms of monetization available, highlighting the audacity of this modder’s actions.

Introducing a Controversial $20 Skin for Deadlock

Under the alias GigWhat, the modder has published a Patreon promotion for a unique skin called “Mystic North.” This custom design, tailored for the hero character known as Warden, boasts six vibrant color schemes, an animated glowing cape, new ability particle effects, and specially designed UI icons.

GigWhat acknowledged their collaborator, The_Grimmrock, for providing the model and textures. Notably, the pricing was partially attributed to The_Grimmrock’s recent job loss, adding a personal touch to the skin’s narrative.

However, there’s a significant limitation: as Deadlock lacks official mod support and public servers, this skin is client-side only, meaning only the purchaser can view it. This reality has led to mixed reactions among the gaming community.

Community responses on platforms like X and Reddit have largely leaned toward skepticism and frustration. One user remarked, “Even Valve doesn’t make money from Deadlock, ” expressing confusion over the pricing of a mod for a game that isn’t charging players anything. Others pointed out the impracticality of purchasing something that lacks visibility to other players, with one comment highlighting the risk involved in such an investment: “Can’t wait for the people who pay for these skins. Deadlock comes out and boom, mods no longer work.”

In light of the significant backlash, the modder team reduced the skin’s price to $10. One of the creators defended their position by stating that creating mods often incurs costs to developers and emphasized the considerable time investment—six weeks of evenings and weekends—devoted to this project.

As of now, Valve has yet to issue an official statement regarding the sale of paid mods for Deadlock. The anticipation builds as players wonder if the studio will address this trend before the game’s eventual full launch.

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