Valve's Upcoming MOBA-Hero Shooter, Deadlock, Leverages ChatGPT for Matchmaking Overhaul

Deadlock, Valve's anticipated MOBA-hero shooter, recently underwent a matchmaking system revamp, with surprising assistance from an unlikely source: the AI chatbot ChatGPT. Valve engineer Fletcher Dunn revealed on Twitter (now X) that the new system utilizes the Hungarian algorithm, a solution discovered through a conversation with ChatGPT.

Prior to the update, Deadlock's matchmaking faced significant criticism from players. Reddit threads were filled with complaints about unbalanced matches, pitting experienced players against newcomers with less skilled teammates. One player commented on the disparity between increasingly challenging opponents and consistently weaker teammates as their game count rose. Another highlighted the stark difference in skill levels between teams, often featuring new players facing off against more experienced opponents.

(c) r/DeadlockTheGame

The Deadlock team acknowledged these issues, previously announcing a complete matchmaking system rewrite on their Discord server. Dunn's use of ChatGPT, however, provided a faster solution, leading to the implementation of the Hungarian algorithm.

Dunn, a vocal proponent of ChatGPT's utility, highlighted its increasing importance in his workflow, even dedicating a dedicated browser tab to the AI. While celebrating this success, he also acknowledged the potential downsides, noting that relying on AI might reduce human interaction and collaboration. This prompted discussion online, with some users expressing skepticism about AI replacing human programmers.

The Hungarian algorithm, a type of bipartite matching algorithm, is well-suited for matchmaking scenarios where only one side (e.g., player preferences) needs to be considered. This contrasts with more complex algorithms that account for multiple factors.

Despite the improvements, some players remain unsatisfied with the current matchmaking, expressing frustration on social media. Comments ranged from attributing recent matchmaking issues to the ChatGPT-assisted update to more critical sentiments about the game's development progress.

Game8 remains optimistic about Deadlock's potential. For a more in-depth analysis of the game and our playtest experience, please see the link below.