Deadlock is the latest game from Valve on Steam. Currently, the shooter is in a closed testing phase, but that hasn’t stopped the modder from making money off of it.
What is the modder selling? The X-user and Deadlock modder has created a custom skin for one of the 38 heroes, Warden, together with another modder. This includes not only a new look but also new icons and effects for abilities. The problem, however, is that the user is charging 20 dollars (approximately 17 euros) for the unofficial skin.
After some criticism from the community, the modder has lowered the price and is now only charging 10 dollars for the skin.
What does Valve earn from Deadlock? The shooter is currently free. Players can be invited by other players via Steam and thus participate in the testing phase without any cost. Also, in Deadlock itself, there are currently no options to spend money.
The sale is illegal according to the community
What does the community say about the mod? Many Deadlock players find it outrageous to offer an unofficial skin for real money even though the game itself is free and the developers are not making money off of it.
Additionally, some players point out that offering paid mods is illegal. The Reddit user PalmIdentity describes the situation as follows:
If it is a completely original model and has not been packaged in a way that it works directly with Deadlock without further modifications, then it’s legal. You’re just selling a 3D model. But this here is just another version of a character that belongs to Valve, so it falls under copyright and intellectual property protection. If it were an original character, Marden, that would be fine.
Valve has not yet commented on the paid mod (as of April 4, 2026, at 3:10 PM).
Are mods generally allowed in Deadlock? Yes, mods are generally allowed if they do not provide a competitive advantage. We have already created a guide on how to install mods and which are the best in the community.
Deadlock experiences a new surge of players with each major update. Since the “New Gods, Old Blood” update, the numbers have risen to up to 100,000 players simultaneously.
For MeinMMO author Nico, Deadlock is also considered one of the best competitive games ever, and he believes it will be a masterpiece: I have already spent over 1,000 hours in the new shooter from Valve on Steam before release, and I say: This will be a masterpiece
