Valve is rumored to be working on a new Dota 2 spin-off project named Neon Prime with the creator of Dota, IceFrog. Valve working on any new project is always an exciting proposition, but rumors and leaks surrounding its work are highly unreliable. That's largely because Valve frequently cancels games or retools projects, making even accurate reports unreliable. Yet there's buzz surrounding the rumored Neon Prime game that deserves a closer look.Dota 2 remains one of Valve's most successful ongoing efforts. The MOBA and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive take turns being the most-played game on Steam. In addition, The International remains one of the most-watched esports events in the world, and there was even a Dota 2 cartoon released in 2021 that proved popular. That Valve would want to continue to expand on Dota 2 should certainly come as no surprise, especially considering IceFrog remains a Valve employee.The report on the latest Dota project from Valve comes from frequent leaker Tyler McVicker. According to McVicker, Valve is actively working on a new Dota-related project named Neon Prime. The game involves Dota 2's IceFrog, though it's unclear if it's a MOBA. What is clear is that it isn't an "unlikely" to be FPS. It's also a sci-fi project, said to involve traveling to different dimensions, like Ultoria or the home of The Continuum.
While historically McVicker has proven an unreliable rumormonger, sometimes sharing accurate information and sometimes sharing things that are either incorrect or have yet to be confirmed, there's some confirmation to what he's already shared. The name Neon Prime has been officially trademarked by Valve and is registered as related to video games. That hardly confirms a game's development, but it does lend credence to McVicker's follow-up reporting.
One ex-Valve employee did comment on the Neon Prime trademark story on ResetEra, asking if it was Valve's "FTL-like ship building game." That's certainly sci-fi and would allow for travel to different Dota 2 locations, but doesn't necessarily tie well into the Dota franchise. It's certainly intriguing, though, if only because it'd be something fans would never expect.
Valve fans are certainly more than aware that it's unhealthy to expect anything from the company until it's been officially announced (and even then, it's healthy to be skeptical). As much as it makes sense to release more Dota-related games, Valve will only put out new games when the stars align. It sat on the Half-Life franchise for well over a decade, after all. And not all Valve games are guaranteed to be what fans want, either, as Artifact shows. Here's hoping Valve won't wait long to share the truth about Neon Prime.
Neon Prime is rumored to be in development.