Why Deadlock Has the Best Character Designs

Valve builds them out of New Yorkers you'd walk past, a pigeon lady, a chess player in the park, a rat in the sewers, and then something occult gets into them. Here's how the designs got this good. CHAPTERS 0:00 Cold open 1:18 A New Yorker you'd walk past 3:05 Every hero tells you who they are 4:23 It almost looked like every other game 6:19 The proof 7:11 Not even finished SOURCES Every fact on screen, with its outlet, author, date and link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ro-Ppn_QwvCP9WiWx26HRxmx4q8R1iLJ CLIPS Used under fair use, for commentary and criticism. Only the seconds the story needs, each credited on screen. DattoDoesDeadlock, City Never Sleeps Reaction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POodbLKfVA4 Extra Eskay, DEADLOCK'S BIGGEST UPDATE IS FINALLY HERE!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_SxoiH3ndU Flats Clips, Flats reacts to the new deadlock update: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70bYfIHqHFM supertf clips, WE ARE SO BACK (Deadlock Update): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9dahKqTqSQ Kinkymation, ARTIST LOCKS IN ON DEADLOCK DESIGNS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea0ECwqcScQ shroud, DEADLOCK BIGGEST UPDATE YET: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5edidoF91M jedcal, 1900 player goes to washington square park: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bDC9EeE5o4 TBSkyen Shorts, You all know who to vote for, right?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TZhFKdAOuE Cunning Plan, Deadlock: Baba - Abilities showcase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER6kCWoOOCU New York City 4k, Walking In New York City: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQCd8cHCByE Matt Little, Pizza Rat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPXUG8q4jKU Bash, Deadlock: The Doorman Experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFbMXYUcdBc Enkindle, All New Hero DOORMAN Voicelines!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1luKYdwRs8Q FullSelfGaming, Deadlock - New Character Select Screen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Dq5iYw0TWQ FullSelfGaming, Deadlock August 2025 Update - Hideout Tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpUHLp-80C8 Obi-Kwan Gaming, Deadlock Gameplay Full Match: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MEhdnQaj3Y DX, Deadlock's Perfect Character Design: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL1NGPwhN4U Tyler McVicker, Deadlock - All Leaked Footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BDMm3FuiHs theScore esports, NEW VALVE GAME GOT LEAKED: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zhAohem1_k Kronos, DEADLOCK HERO LABS UPDATE FIRST LOOK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22_d2LRTuS8 Deadlock Greed, New Hero RAVEN Abilities Showcase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnEPyr-POFQ ottr, Deadlock ALL 6 NEW Hero Labs Heroes EXPLAINED: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9by7sey71M AverageJonas, Rating the NEW Deadlock heroes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD5T_QY7tDU Dead Air, Deadlock Patch Breakdown, Jan 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4xiFgpeoQo Dead Air, Deadlock Patch Breakdown, Feb 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7ZI-_OPfY0 AverageJonas, SIX new heroes! Huge Deadlock news: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g_k-5yi2tU AndrewChicken, 6 NEW Heroes, NEW Hideout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIp_lAs6LMQ GothamChess, Vote Solomon Deadlock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU_cwIBL2zA Extra Eskay, BABA IS HERE AND SHE WILL KICK YOU: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HQ1NusXQo4 Mr. Hat, Deadlock (Valve) Sinclair Voicelines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWzMhMpQKF4 FOOTAGE AND IMAGES For commentary and criticism: Valve's Deadlock posts on Steam and the City Never Sleeps page, and Valve's hero renders (hosted on deadlock.wiki). Valve's 2007 paper "Illustrative Rendering in Team Fortress 2" and Team Fortress 2's store art. Yamato concepts: Valve, via PC Gamer. Articles: PC Gamer, Rogue, Kotaku, Gameranx, GamesRadar. A YouTube search, captured 8 Oct 2026. Deadlock gameplay: Valve. Photos, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/): "Hopoo Games IGF Award at 2014 Game Developers Conference" by Official GDC: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hopoo_Games_IGF_Award_at_2014_Game_Developers_Conference.jpg "Levy Rozman at Collision 2024" by Collision Conf: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Levy_Rozman_at_Collision_2024_(cropped).jpg "Coney Island, Boardwalk, Astroland" by Allie_Caulfield: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2008-05-17_Coney_Island,_Long_Island_038_Coney_Island,_Boardwalk,_Astroland_(2678768700).jpg "Baba Yaga" by Ivan Bilibin, 1900, public domain: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bilibin._Baba_Yaga.jpg MUSIC "Nautilus" by poinl, OpenGameArt.org, CC0: https://opengameart.org/content/nautilus Deadlock main menu theme (Valve), used under Valve's video policy: https://store.steampowered.com/video_policy #deadlock #valve #moba