Deadlock is the king of MOBA character designs, and it’s all thanks to Valve’s embrace of New Yorkyness
Valve’s latest MOBA title, Deadlock, has developed a distinctive character design philosophy centered on New York City culture and aesthetics. The game’s setting, called the Cursed Apple, is described as an urban fantasy environment that unmistakably captures the essence of NYC rather than offering generic urban themes.
The character design approach extends beyond superficial New York references, with new heroes unveiled in the latest “City Never Sleeps” update directly inspired by iconic NYC sights and cultural touchstones. Nearly all new characters draw from recognizable NYC archetypes and locations. For example, Solomon is a chessboard-wielding wizard character inspired by elderly chess players commonly seen in city parks. Additional characters are drawn from other quintessential New York scenes, such as a grandmother character based on park bench culture.
This focused design strategy distinguishes Deadlock in the MOBA genre, where developers typically create fantastical characters with generic fantasy or sci-fi aesthetics. Instead, Deadlock leans heavily into specific cultural and geographic identity, grounding its characters in real urban environments and social observation. The update demonstrates Valve’s commitment to deepening this NYC-centric design direction as the game evolves.