Deadlock adds Solomon: City Never Sleeps update with chessboard reload
Valve’s Deadlock has reportedly added hero Solomon in the City Never Sleeps update, with a reload animation that reshuffles a chessboard.
- According to the report, six heroes were added in that update, with Solomon standing out for a chess theme and a reload animation that reshuffles the board based on remaining ammo.
- A post from Deadlock News on X says the chessboard positions are based on real historical games, including Maurice Ashley vs. Josh Waitzkin from 1999.
What happened
Kotaku published an article on October 10, 2026 about Solomon, a new hero in Valve’s Deadlock. In the piece, Solomon is described as a chess grandmaster and tied to the City Never Sleeps update. The report focuses on his animations, which are built around chess matches.
According to Kotaku, six heroes were added in the same update. The standout detail is Solomon’s reload animation: after reloading, the arrangement of the pieces on his board changes, and that new layout depends on the amount of ammo left. The source says the variations are based on historical chess positions.
Deadlock News wrote on X on October 10, 2026 that every position on Solomon’s board comes from a real historical game. The embed mentions Maurice Ashley vs. Josh Waitzkin (1999), plus a second reference that cuts off at “Nakamura vs. Van…”. That confirms only that the animation uses real games; the full list of games is not visible in the provided text.
Based on the available sources, it is not confirmed that the chessboard layouts have gameplay effects beyond the reload animation. It is also unclear whether “City Never Sleeps” is the official name of the update or the publication’s wording.
Timeline
1999 — The game Maurice Ashley vs. Josh Waitzkin is cited as the source for one of the chess positions.
October 10, 2026 — Kotaku publishes its article about Solomon in Deadlock.
October 10, 2026 — Deadlock News posts on X that Solomon’s board changes after reloading based on remaining ammo.
October 10, 2026 — The reporting links Solomon to the City Never Sleeps update, alongside five other heroes.
October 10, 2026 — The X post says the chessboard positions come from real historical games, but the second reference is cut off at “Nakamura vs. Van…”.
Background
In the provided sources, Deadlock is presented as a Valve game in an invite-only or not-yet-fully-released context. Kotaku describes it as an upcoming game, while the supplied source material also points to a closed beta context. Within that framework, Solomon fits as a new addition that stands out mainly because of a visual detail.
The Kotaku byline names Zack Kotzer as the article’s author. The external context also uses the title “Deadlock Hero's Animations Based On Famous Chess Matches,” which matches the core of the story: not a general hero reveal, but specifically Solomon’s animations. The available information also mentions a Deadlock wiki page describing Solomon as a chess-themed hero, though that source is not needed to confirm the main point.
Separately, the supplied context says Deadlock hit a peak of 262,145 concurrent Steam players on October 9, 2026, surpassing Team Fortress 2’s all-time peak of 253,997. Those figures come from SteamDB and an additional article in the provided context, but they are separate from the Solomon report.
Sources
- Kotaku: "New Deadlock Hero’s Reload Animations Based On Famous Chess Matches"
- Deadlock News / X: post about Solomon’s chessboard variations and historical games