Dota 2
Dota 2
Quincy Crew, beastcoast headline Omega League Americas playoffs
Steven Rondina
The group stage to the Omega League Americas Divine division has wrapped up and the event’s top teams are largely moving forward. Quincy Crew, 4 Zoomers, Thunder Predator, and beastcoast have secured upper bracket starts in the playoffs. There will also be a play-in stage to determine the two teams that will compete in the lower bracket. The scheduled matchups for the Omega League Americas Divine division include: Play-In: business …
Dota 2
Spectre gets nerfed into the dirt with Dota 2 patch 7.27d
Steven Rondina
After rapid fire patches in early July Valve gave Dota 2 a chance to settle, the meta has started to grow a bit stale, and the company has responded by delivering a big shakeup. Dota 2 update 7.27d is now live. As per usual, the patch delivers nerfs to some of the most powerful heroes in each meta while also giving a bit of a boost to those who are …
Dota 2
The International 10 breaks prize pool record set by TI9
Steven Rondina
The International 10’s prize pool has been growing at an unprecedented rate since the launch of the TI10 Battle Pass, and it has hit yet another major milestone. The TI10 prize pool has officially cleared the $34,330,068 mark, which was the final prize pool amount for The International 2019. With that, The International 10 now has the largest prize pool in esports history. The news comes as little surprise to …
Dota 2
19 new heroes potentially discovered in hidden Dota 2 files
Steven Rondina
Data mining is a big part of the news cycle for a number of popular video games, but it hasn’t really been a major phenomenon in Dota 2. Until now. A Reddit user went waist deep into Dota 2’s files and made an incredible discovery. Hidden within Dota 2 are 19 unreleased heroes that have been built to varying levels of completion. Some have little more than a code name …
Valve updates indefinite delay for TI10 and Dota Pro Circuit
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
The International 10 is going to be one of the biggest events in esports history, but nobody knows when it’s going to happen. After an extended silence, Valve gave an update on the status of TI10 and the return of the Dota Pro Circuit. Unfortunately, the update is that there is no immediate update. The news was revealed on Twitter: In following how the pandemic has been developing globally, the …
Dota 2 mod brings League of Legends champions into the game
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Ever wanted to play as League of Legends champions Ashe, Veigar, or Annie in Dota 2? Well fear not, a mod has been created to satisfy that very desire! Dota 2 but League Heroes is exactly what it sounds like. The custom game mode takes a group of League of Legends champions and drops them into Dota 2, utilizing Dota 2’s game engine, mechanics, and items. Players can play a …
Aster parts ways with Fade and Sccc, adds ex-Royal Never Give Up stars
Fariha Bhatti
Dota 2
Chinese organization Team Aster has announced some massive changes to its starting roster. Dota 2 legend and Aster co-founder Xu “BurNIng” Zhilei revealed that the team has parted ways with renowned carry player Song “Sccc” Chun, mid-laner Kee Chyuan “ChYuan” Ng and captain Pan “Fade” Yi. Replacing the trio are Liu “白学家” Yuhao, Du “Monet” Peng, and Jiang “天命” An. Replacing Sccc in Aster’s lineup is Royal Never Give Up …
Omega League Asia division sees surprise victory for 496 Gaming
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
In a surprise turn, a Vietnamese team dominated the Omega League Asia Divine Division. Besting a number of formidable foes from both China and Southeast Asia, 496 Gaming walked away with a $14,000 top prize. This was a huge win for the little-known team. ⚡️@496_dota are the Champions of the OMEGA League Asia Divine Division⚡️Congratulations on your well-deserved title!Read more: https://t.co/cYWk4AjxYq#OMEGAdota @DOTA2 #WePlayOMEGA pic.twitter.com/h7TmTO0OqK — WePlay! Dota2 | #WePlayOMEGA (@WePlayDota2_) …
Dota 2 streamer Attacker has officially joined Team Nigma
Jared Wynne
Dota 2
Team Nigma has announced the signing of Mohammed “Attacker” Almheiri as the team’s first official streaming personality. Although the signing might come as a surprise considering the recent streaming controversy involving Gorgc and OG, it looks as though Nigma have different things in mind with Attacker. The team has been promoting Dota 2 in the MENA region, most notably through the Rising Stars tournament that boasted a $10,000 prize pool. …
MATUMBAMAN schools NiP with mid Lycan in Omega League
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
The ending of the “Zoo Meta” seemingly meant the end of Lycan’s relevance in professional Dota 2, but Lasse Aukusti “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen must not have read those patch notes. In Team Secret’s second match of the Omega League Europe Immortal Division, the star player ran wild on Ninjas in Pyjamas using the split pushing specialist. Though Michał “Nisha” Jankowski has been getting most of Secret’s reps in the mid lane, …
Fans are already upset with new Pudge arcana in TI10 Battle Pass
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
The fourth premium skin of The International 10 Battle Pass has arrived. The Toy Butcher hero persona for Pudge has been added to Dota 2. The skin joins previously released arcanas for Queen of Pain and Wraith King. It also comes following the launch of the controversial Anti-Mage hero persona. As with other hero persona skins, the Toy Butcher reimagines Pudge’s character while keeping his in-game skills and abilities the …
Gorgc splits from OG after 7 months over Omega League conflict
Jared Wynne
Dota 2
One of the most popular Dota 2 streamers and content creators, Janne “Gorgc” Stefanovski, has announced that he will be parting ways with OG. The decision stems from diverging interests between the streamer and organization. While his tenure with the team was originally imagined around Gorgc casting OG’s games, the situation got complicated after OG became involved in organizing tournaments. Due to OG’s involvement in arranging the Omega League, scheduling …
T1 replaces Forev with ex-TNC off laner Sam_H for ESL One Thailand
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Korean organization T1 has announced the signing of Filipino offlaner Samson Enojosa “Sam_H” Hidalgo. [T1 @DOTA2 Roster Update]Please welcome Sam_H to our DOTA2 Squad![T1 DOTA2 로스터 안내]T1 DOTA2 팀에 Samson “Sam_H” Solomon Enojosa Hidalgo 선수가 합류하게 되었습니다. 내일부터 펼쳐지는 ESL 대회에 많은 관심과 응원 부탁드립니다!#T1WIN #T1Fighting pic.twitter.com/nVOOZxPziN — T1 (@T1) August 19, 2020 Sam_H will replace former captain Lee “Forev” Sang-don, who parted ways with the organization in July. Sam_H …
Dota 2 pro arrested, beaten by police during Belarus protests
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Belarus has been dealing with mass protests over the results of the country’s disputed presidential election, and these protests have led to thousands of arrests, including the detaining of a notable Dota 2 pro. Dota 2 pro player Oleg “LastHero” Demidovich, off laner for B8, opened up on his experience including his arrest, incarceration, and eventual release, through the team’s official podcast. “They just zip tied our hands and threw …
OG’s MidOne brings back carry Io in Omega League match vs NiP
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Anathan “ana” Pham isn’t playing pro Dota 2 these days, but his spirit lives on with his former team. OG is competing in Omega League’s Europe Immortal division and won its second group stage match against Ninjas in Pyjamas. Both games featured OG carry player Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng playing carry Io, a unique take on what is traditionally a hard support hero. ana showed the power of core Io …
Team Liquid vs Team Secret Omega League betting analysis
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Team Secret and Team Liquid have faced off many times over the last few months, but they’re set to do so once again with much more money on the line this time around. The Omega League is making the same old European and CIS Dota 2 league new once again by attaching a $500,000 prize pool to it. Liquid and Secret have played against each another seven times in the …
Few games have proven to have the resilient popularity enjoyed by Dota 2. The multiplayer online battle arena, or MOBA for short, has been among the biggest and most successful projects released by gaming giant Valve, and it continues to enjoy great popularity to this day.
That popularity has endured despite a great number of changes that have been made to both the game itself and to the communities surrounding it. The competitive title’s history reaches all the way back to another game created and published by another developer, but with Valve now leading the way, Dota 2 seems primed to last well into the future.
From Blizzard to Valve, Dota 2 continues to evolve
While know today as one of Valve’s key game properties, Dota 2 has its origins in a real-time strategy game developed and published by famed video game company Blizzard. One of the franchises that keyed Blizzard’s success and reputational growth in the games industry is WarCraft, which today is best-known for the popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft.
But prior to the success of World of Warcraft, the high-fantasy franchise was experienced through a series of RTS games. The third main title in that series, WarCraft 3, provided players not only with a great experience right out of the box, but also with the opportunity to heavily modify the game and its functions, and to play modified versions of the experience as custom games online with other players.
The most popular of these custom game modes was arguably Defense of the Ancients, or DotA for short. This custom game mode saw two teams of players face off against each other with strong individual champion characters, as opposed to building out complex home bases and developing broad armies of diverse units.
It was an entirely different way to play the game, and it proved so popular that would eventually give birth to an entirely new genre of video games: the MOBA genre.
The continuation of the original DotA became Dota 2, a project developed under the guidance of famed developer and publisher Valve. Flush with success from online marketplace Steam and its own franchises including Half-Life and Portal, Valve was more than willing to invest in this new and innovative game type.
The International sets Dota 2 apart
While there have been many other competitive games created and released since, including other popular MOBAs such as Riot Games’ League of Legends, Dota 2 has stood apart for remaining true to its roots and for massive competitive events like The International. First held in 2011 for the purpose of bringing together disparate competitive teams from all around the world with more than $1 million on the line, the esports tournament quickly grew into the biggest such event of each calendar year.
One of the main drivers behind that immense growth was the upwards trajectory of the tournament’s prize pool. Partially funded by Dota 2 players and esports fans, the prize pool for The International began increasing in 2013 and eventually ballooned to a massive total of over $40 million by the time 2021 rolled around. For the groups of players and coaches who climbed this mountain and won its top prize, it was a truly life-changing event.
For varied reasons, Valve eventually soured on running the event itself and on the idea of having so much money filtered into one specific event. Prize winnings were dropped significantly in 2022, and even further for the 2023 and 2024 events. But despite the prizes on hand no longer being quite so astronomical, The International still boasts a prize in the low millions, and it remains the biggest event on the Dota 2 competitive calendar and arguably on the greater esports calendar across all games.
Dota 2
Dota 2
Dota 2
Dota 2
