Neon Prime
Neon Prime was an early development version of Deadlock.
Many of Deadlock's current features and assets have been inherited from Neon Prime, and are expected to be updated or replaced over the course of development.
Setting
Main article: Neon Prime lore
Neon Prime had a Cyberpunk sci-fi aesthetic featuring supernatural elements.[1]
The game took place in an alien world called Fracture, a former prison planet that was taken over by inmates and turned into a tourism hotspot where crime is legal. The game matches were elections in the form of organized bloodsports in the city center, in which each team represented a mayor candidate.
Gameplay
The gameplay of Neon Prime was similar to Deadlock. 6 players on each side would use ziplines (then called "hyperlines") to traverse 4 lanes and fight guardians and walkers to destroy an enemy boss called the Core. The players would unlock abilities and use money to buy items called "mods".
Characters
A list of known Neon Prime characters and their Deadlock counterparts.
| Hero Name | Fate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Akimbo | Removed | |
| Astro | Became Holliday | Was in a relationship with Forge. Some of the in-game text and Holliday's internal name (hero_astro) refer to Holliday as Astro |
| Atlas | Became Abrams | Atlas wore a jetpack |
| Ballista | Removed | Used to be in a relationship with Lash |
| Bebop | Stayed | Same as current model |
| Butcher | Became Wrecker | |
| Chrono | Became Paradox | Was the leader of the Paradox organization |
| Digger | Became Mo & Krill | |
| Forge | Became McGinnis | Same as current model, was in a relationship with Astro |
| Gigawatt | Became Seven | |
| Haze | Stayed | Original design was an alien with long ears |
| Heavy | Removed | Based on Heavy from Team Fortress 2 |
| Hornet | Became Vindicta | Had wings |
| Inferno | Became Infernus | Was a man in an orange sci-fi uniform |
| Kali | Console exclusive | Was a retired Bear Pit fighter. Animations were reused for Ivy. Viper's model is currently based on Kali's |
| Kelvin | Stayed | Had an astronaut suit that was reworked as Viscous' current model |
| Lash | Stayed | Owned a dojo, used to be in a relationship with Ballista |
| Murphy | Became Warden | |
| Nano | Became Calico | Had grey hair |
| Orion | Became Grey Talon | Same as current model |
| Shiv | Stayed | Same as current model, but with a red shirt and metallic arm |
| Skymonk | Removed | |
| Spectre | Became Lady Geist | Was a man wearing a cape and hood |
| Sumo | Became Dynamo | Was a Japanese chef and sumo fighter |
| Synth | Became Pocket | |
| Tengu | Became Ivy | Was a person wearing a red yokai mask |
| Viscous | Stayed | Portrait was a blowfish in a green suit |
| Wraith | Stayed | Went through multiple iterations, including a woman with a purple arm and a magician with handcuffed hands and two ghost arms |
| Yamato | Stayed | Same as current model |