What has actually been said
A Valve developer has stated that Deadlock will continue to be invite-only and in an early development stage with temporary art and experimental gameplay. That is the extent of the official position on timing: no date, no window, no open beta announced.
Why the playtest has run so long
Valve does not ship to a calendar. Both Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2 spent long periods in restricted testing, and Valve has repeatedly cancelled or reshaped projects late. A long playtest is not evidence of a problem or of an imminent launch — it is the normal shape of Valve development.
What would actually signal a launch
- The invite requirement dropping — an open beta would be the clearest signal, and it would be visible immediately on the Steam page.
- Placeholder art being replaced wholesale. Final art is expensive and studios do not commission it for something they might cut.
- Store-page changes: a price, a trailer, a listed release window, or a wishlist button appearing.
Meanwhile
Development is clearly active. Valve ships builds most weeks and they contain real balance changes — the patch history shows exactly how often, and exactly what moved each time.