A new report is claiming that Riot is working on a Deadlock clone, and the studio has responded to the rumors.
Deadlock is Valve’s horribly kept secret, a MOBA hero shooter that combines elements of Dota 2 with weapon-based combat. Now in it’s alpha, Deadlock has been called complicated but unique and fun, leading many to question if it will be the next big esport. Seeing the buzz, some say that Riot has been inspired by the one-of-a-kind competitive game.
Is Riot actually creating a Deadlock clone?
Riot has denied making a Deadlock competitor, citing the clone rumors as misinformation.
Deadlock is a hit with some gamers but seen as too complex and slow to others. Either way, there’s no denying that it’s a unique concept that hasn’t been done before in a competitive title. It wouldn’t be too shocking to see some clones pop up, but it’s rumored that one of those clone hopefuls was being discussed by Riot, the developer behind Valorant and League of Legends.
An October 2 report spreading across the internet claims Tencent granted Riot $200 million to develop a hero shooter that would directly compete with Deadlock. Gamers started questioning the claim, unsure if Riot would truly do something like this. As the rumors continued to be discussed online, director of Riot corporate comms Joe Hixson has come out and denied it completely. After seeing an account called Pirat Nation share a screenshot of an article discussing the alleged grant from Tencent, Hixson directly called out the post.
“I see lots of crazy rumors, but this [is] extra fake,” said Hixson.
Hixson claimed that the article in the tweet was not even real, hinting that it was an edited screenshot. He also noted that Tencent doesn’t fund Riot’s devs, writing “that’s not how it works.”
Hixson added that there are a lot of things cooking in research and development, but the games are “nothing like Deadlock.” This could include the upcoming fighting game, 2KXO, but it’s unclear what the other games would be. More than likely, however, they’d be set in the League of Legends universe.
Fans were not surprised by Hixson’s tweet. Some felt that it was obviously not real to begin with. But others noted that Riot would have “done it better” and were a bit disappointed that the rumors were not allegedly untrue. Some are even still skeptical, tweeting that they believe Riot will eventually make a direct competitor with Deadlock if the past is any indicator.
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