Dota 2
Dota 2
The International 2019 is headed to Shanghai
Steven Rondina
The International will once again land outside of Seattle, but it’s going to be a lot further away than Vancouver next year. During Friday’s broadcast of TI8, Valve announced that The International 2019 will take place in Shanghai, China. No date was announced for the event, and though the promotional video was shot in front of the Mercedes-Benz Arena, it remains unconfirmed what venue will host the tournament. While the …
Dota 2
Two new heroes announced at TI8
Steven Rondina
The Dota 2 roster is growing even larger with the announcement of two new heroes at The International. Following the Evil Geniuses vs. Team Liquid series, a trailer for two new heroes was shown. Details regarding the first hero, Mars, are scarce. All that was shown was a brief teaser trailer and a tentative release date of “this winter.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3450S8MfemE Shockingly, second hero Grimstroke is already live. Classified in-game as …
Dota 2
n0tail and Fly’s personal drama the focus at TI8
gabhernandez
On the third day of the main event, Rogers Arena witnessed the public end of the Notail and Fly friendship. The winner’s bracket of The International 2018 is a tough road, and it was there that OG met Evil Geniuses. The teams are two steps away from elimination and fighting for the Aegis of Champions. However, the personal feud between OG and EG might be bigger than the tournament itself. …
Dota 2
Gabe Newell is the latest Dota 2 announcer
gabhernandez
This year’s International immortalizes a comical act from Valve founder Gabe Newell, popularly dubbed by the community as “Lord GabeN.” A video presented during the main event of The International featured a skit including Kaci Aitchison, Jake “SirActionSlacks” Kanner, and Gabe Newell. Newell transitioned from his brief cameo role in a TI7 video to a lead role in this short comedy. The video was shot in a recording studio opening …
Dota 2
The TI8 main event bracket is set
Steven Rondina
The group stage of The International 2018 wrapped up on Saturday night and with that the brackets have been set for the tournament’s playoffs. Wykrhm Reddy revealed the opening matchups for the TI8 main event and there are a lot of interesting games already set. https://twitter.com/wykrhm/status/1031023918486675456 The upper bracket kicks off with a trio of North America vs. Europe matches in OpTic Gaming vs. Team Liquid, VGJ.Storm vs. OG, and …
Dota 2
VGJ.Storm Receive controversial penalty after coaching gaffe
gabhernandez
A top seeded team at The International was penalized for using two coaches during the tournament’s group stage. VGJ.Storm had an impressive run at The International 2018’s group stage. They were the only team to remain undefeated throughout day one, finishing the group stage with an impressive 12-4 record and safely securing an upper bracket spot in the main event. However, Valve discovered that VGJ.Storm used two coaches during the drafting …
Dota 2
Invictus Gaming and paIN Gaming are Eliminated from TI8
gabhernandez
With the conclusion of The International group stage, two teams have waved goodbye to their Aegis aspirations. Invictus Gaming and paiN Gaming were ranked as the bottom teams from Group A and Group B respectively, seeing them exit the tournament before it reaches the main stage in Vancouver. In Group A, Invictus Gaming faced powerhouses and fan favorites including Team Liquid, Evil Geniuses, and PSG LGD. They failed to win …
Dota 2
Fnatic Partners with Rivalry
gabhernandez
Fnatic have announced a new partnership with betting website Rivalry. The video announcement focused on the organization’s goals to enhance esports. The deal also promotes responsible esports betting practices through the education of bettors. Rivalry is a new betting website established earlier in 2018. The website is an esports sportsbook licensed by the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission. Instead of Dota 2 items or in-game skins, betting in Rivalry.gg …
Valve tells Dota 2 teams not to take betting site sponsorships
Steven Rondina
News
The Dota 2 sponsorship scene is going to look quite a bit different in 2019 if Valve has anything to say about it. According to multiple reports, during a pre-event meeting with teams the publisher discouraged organizations participating at The International 2018 from accepting sponsorships from betting sites. Though Valve did not outright ban betting site sponsorships, this is a massive shakeup for the Dota 2 scene. Over recent years, …
Dota Pro Circuit changes coming in 2019
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
The Dota Pro Circuit for the 2018-2019 season is going to look quite different compared to this year’s version, in more ways than anyone was expecting. Valve officials met with players and staff from the 18 teams in attendance at The International and revealed another new set of changes to the DPC, including a massive change in how teams will qualify for TI9. As with this year, the 2018-2019 Dota …
Rubick receives latest Dota 2 Arcana
gabhernandez
Dota 2
After a near miss during the TI7 Arcana Vote, the Grand Magus Rubick claimed it this year. It’s been a tradition that each year Battle Pass owners cast votes for the next hero to receive an Arcana. The Arcana voting system split heroes into four single elimination brackets. Higher level Battle Pass owners can cast more votes. Since The International 2014, Valve took to Compendium or Battle Pass Arcana votes …
TI8 All-Star Teams Clash in Mutation Mode
gabhernandez
Dota 2
One of the highlights of The International 2018 was an all-star match featuring the new Mutation mode. Since Danil “Dendi” Ishutin’s taunts in The International 2013 All-Star match, the hype for the show match has grown along with the community. What makes this year’s All-Star game thrilling is seeing new game mutations on the main stage. The TI8 All-Star players were Song “Sccc” Chun, Per Anders Olsson “Pajkatt” Lille, Amer …
AdmiralBulldog’s visa denied, robbing TI8 of memes
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
While all of the players scheduled to compete at The International successfully arrived in Vancouver, without issue, one notable caster did not. A year removed from being denied entry into the United States ahead of The International 2017, former Alliance player Henrik “AdmiralBulldog” Ahnberg was unable to enter Canada to attend TI8. He broke the news over social media, but didn’t offer many specifics. “I just want to be completely …
These are the groups at The International 2018
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
With The International 2018 kicking off in less than 48 hours, details on the tournament’s group stages have finally emerged. Wykhrm Reddy made the reveal on Twitter, announcing the groups and format for the first leg of the event. https://twitter.com/wykrhm/status/1029044785233842177Similar to last year, TI8 will feature two groups of nine teams playing in a round robin format with best-of-two series play. Teams placing first through fourth in each group will …
Virtus.pro’s Dota 2 Roster is sticking together through 2019
gabhernandez
Dota 2
As The International 2018 gets closer, fan favorites Virtus Pro commit to play with the same roster until the end of 2019. The top Dota Pro Circuit points earner remains a consistent and stable roster. With four major titles garnered during their DPC run, it is not a surprise that management for Virtus Pro fully trust their roster to conquer the competitive scene. The community will be seeing more …
Fans aren’t happy with new Virtus.pro uniforms
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
Virtus Pro is going to look very different heading into events like The International 2018 and the FACEIT Major: London, but not because of any roster moves. The Russian organization revealed a new jersey and logo, ditching its traditional black and orange colors in favor of a new green and purple look. Check it out: Initial reactions from fans were resoundingly negative, with many saying they missed the previous color …
Valve addresses complaints with TI Battle Pass
gabhernandez
Dota 2
Amidst rampant complaints from players, Valve has fixed the item drop rates for Immortal Treasures in this year’s Battle Pass. The anticipated Immortal Treasure III from The International Battle Pass was released on July 31. The Immortal items did not disappoint the community, as excited fans were quick to open their shiny new treasure chests. High leveled Battle Pass owners were saddened when they were not rewarded the ultra-rare items …
Casters announced for The International 2018
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Dota 2 fans now know who they’ll be listening to at The International. The full lineup of on-air talent for TI8 was announced Tuesday, with Wykrhm Reddy breaking the news on Twitter. Though there are few surprises on the list, there are a handful of notable changes from TI7. The lineup of casters and content creators, for the most part, is just what fans would expect. Familiar voices like Chan …
Dota 2 gets final patch before The International
gabhernandez
Dota 2
Valve has released a few final tweaks before the biggest esports event of the year. The culmination of DOTA Summit 9 paved the way for some small but significant changes in Dota 2 gameplay. The 7.19 patch is expected to bring more balance prior to The International 2018. In 7.19, daily bonus heroes will feel more fair as the provided Enchanted Mango count has been reduced to one. A small …
MiSeRy to coach Pain Gaming for TI8
gabhernandez
Dota 2
Pain Gaming is bringing on a new coach in their quest for the Aegis of Champions. Rasmus “MISERY” Filipsen has been enlisted as the coach of Pain Gaming for their approaching run at The International. The move reunites him with former Digital Chaos teammate Aliwi “w33” Omar. Pain Gaming announced MISERY’s addition to the team on Twitter. The video highlighted MISERY’s notable achievements in the Dota 2 scene. These include …
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.
