Tens of thousands of people have been playing Deadlock, a new multiplayer shooter from Valve, over the past few months, but in that time, there’s been no official announcement or acknowledgement of the game’s existence from its creators. Until now. Valve has put up a starkly bare-bones Steam store page for Deadlock, describing it as a “multiplayer game in early development.”

“Deadlock is still in early development with lots of temporary art and experimental gameplay,” the page reads. “Access to Deadlock is currently limited to friend invites via our playtesters.” The page also features a single 22-second teaser trailer and no screenshots.

Deadlock is currently being played by 63,000 people. Previously, those with access to the beta were asked to “not share anything about the game with anyone”, although inevitably footage leaked onto the wider web. That restriction has now been lifted entirely, with people posting thoughts and more videos online.

Deadlock sounds like a mix between Dota and Super Monday Night Combat; a third-person, 6v6 multiplayer shooter with lanes, respawning creeps, and a skyrail transit system.

I’ve heard it argued that it’s bizarre that Valve wouldn’t announce a game that’s clearly going to have so many people playing it, but honestly, I can understand the decision. Valve has a reputation for canceling projects mid-development, and as a genre, many multiplayer shooters seem to falter during their beta phases. How many games has Ubisoft announced in the last five years, only to cancel them as soon as players got their hands on them? My only disappointment is that Valve didn’t come up with a more interesting name than “Deadlock” before making it official.