Deadlock: A Legend Lost Like a Bad Sock in the Laundry

The Rise and Fall of Slork

Ah, Slork! That mysterious hero who danced on the fringes of our gaming dreams, only to be yanked away faster than you can say “Game Over!” He waltzed into our lives with a name that tickled our collective funny bones and a playstyle that was sneakier than your cat stalking a sunbeam. But alas, dear friends, the story of Slork has taken a grim turn. It appears that Valve decided he was better suited for the dinner table than the battlefield. Yes, you read that right—Slork has been turned into a delightful stock, and not the kind you put in a video game!

Remembering the Good Times

So, let’s rewind a bit. Slork was once a glimmer of hope in Deadlock’s roster of heroes. Available through some cheeky console commands during a secretive test phase, he charmed many with his antics. Later on, he found himself in the ‘hero labs,’ a funky feature allowing players to trial new characters with placeholder art, all while they waited for their coffee to brew or the laundry to finish. But despite his hilariously whimsical name, Slork was eventually renamed Fathom. Not as catchy, right?

As Deadlock metamorphosed from a raw jumble into a slick, polished arena, the hero labs mode was tossed out like last week’s leftovers. Of the eight characters lurking in that limbo, only a select few made the cut into the cherished core roster. Unfortunately for Slork, his fate was sealed in a pot of boiling water.

Now, as the community buzzes with anticipation over the next patch, murmurs of fresh characters are flying around like confetti. But where is our dear Slork in all this commotion? Rest assured, he seems to have slipped into the void of overshadowed dreams. When a fan poked the bear on Discord, asking about Slork’s lingering presence, developer Duncan “Hopoo” Drummond—yes, the same guy who’s etching his name into gaming lore with Risk of Rain—delivered a shocking revelation: “We made a delicious stock out of his bones and meats.” Yikes! At this point, I’d say we should send Hopoo some bread to go with that stock!

And if you thought this was just part of an elaborate joke, think again. When Hopoo was told he was taking this whole cooking thing a bit too far, his retort was simply, “7 hours.” Not a release window for any patches, just an oven timer for Slork’s flavorful disappearance.

So, if you were eagerly awaiting Slork—or should I say Fathom—to pop back into the game’s spotlight, well, it seems we must wave goodbye with heavy hearts. Slork, we barely knew you.