Riot Games Dismisses Rumors of Developing a Competitor to Deadlock

Recently, unfounded rumors circulated on social media claiming that Tencent had provided Riot Games with $200 million to develop a rival to Valve's forthcoming hero shooter, Deadlock. These claims were dubious from the start, especially since the accompanying screenshot was sourced from a fabricated PC Gamer article featuring an image that no reputable outlet would use.

To put the rumors to rest, Riot Games' communications manager took to social media, firmly stating that every element of the claims was utterly ridiculous.

The Power of Misconceptions

"I see a lot of outrageous rumors, but this one is particularly absurd," Hixson stated. "The article in the screenshot doesn't even exist. Tencent doesn’t fund our development like that... that’s not how this works... that’s not how any of this works. We have many exciting projects in R&D, but nothing resembling Deadlock."

It’s peculiar for Riot Games to be the focus of such speculation, especially since they already have a massively successful MOBA in League of Legends and a popular hero shooter in Valorant. Given that Deadlock combines elements from both genres, it seems odd for Riot to pursue that niche when numerous other genres remain unexplored by the company.

Currently, Riot is working on two titles set in the Runeterra universe, the world of League of Legends. The first is 2XKO, a free-to-play fighting game expected to launch in 2025, while the second is an unannounced MMO that won’t be available for some time, especially after the studio had to 'reset' its development earlier this year to explore a new direction.

Previously, Riot ventured into other genres through its Riot Forge publishing label, which published six games in collaboration with independent studios before shutting down in January 2024 amid a round of layoffs.

As for Valve, Deadlock is still in its early development stages, and players interested in trying it out can do so.