MoonMeander highlights difficulties facing mid and low-tier Dota pros
Canadian professional Dota 2 player David “MoonMeander” Tan has stated that he hasn’t earned a dime during two years of playing in Valve’s Dota Pro Circuit tournament structure.
MoonMeander tweeted that his former team Tigers hasn’t paid him for a minor win with the squad or for playing at the Kuala Lumpur Major. He hasn’t received payments from GESC tournament organizers for the last season of play either.
“Tough times to be a Dota 2 professional if you aren’t on top,” Moon said.
It’s not the first time a pro player has complained about the financial situation for players that compete in mid and lower-tier teams in professional Dota 2.
A veteran player Ramus “Chessie” Blomdin has just recently highlighted this issue after spending a number of years playing in North America. Chessie recently returned to his native Europe after leaving former team Complexity, but has since stated that he’s thinking of moving regions again or retiring from competitive Dota 2 altogether if the situation doesn’t change for teams outside of the very top tier of squads.
Peter “ppd” Dager, the captain of Ninjas in Pyjamas, has also shared his opinion that Dota 2 lacks sufficient opportunities for progress for those players who aren’t already on a top-tier team.
Top-tier teams offer players more money and more exposure, which in turn leads to greater stability. As such, these players always ensure themselves the best rosters. This is not something lower-tier teams can currently compete with. The system of open and closed regional qualifiers in the Dota Pro Circuit additionally complicates the issue, since lower-tier teams need to fight against top-tier squads just to earn a spot in a major or minor.
This leaves lower-tier teams with very small earnings potential and without consistent access to international competition. And while Dota 2 positions itself as the highest-grossing esport in all of professional gaming, the reality is that most of the money is focused on one tournament only: The International. And it’s a relatively small number of players who have any real opportunity to compete for the prizes on offer there.
TI champion Fear announces hiatus from competitive Dota 2
Former NiP coach accuses organization of unpaid wages, NiP responds
EternaLEnVy headlines new Complexity Dota 2 roster
CompLexity Gaming bring on new Dota 2 roster
Lack of Dota Plus updates has Dota 2 players frustrated
Fortnite Trios event returns after first attempt marred by bugs
LCS game broadcasts to show on Caffeine after Riot Games partnership
PUBG Nations Cup rosters set for USA, Canada, and Australia
Wraith bug in Apex Legends turns the legend invincible to damage
The International 2019 teams are now set after qualifiers conclude
Dota 2 7.22e update brings big nerfs to TI9 qualifier favorites
League of Legends 2019 update plans outlined by Riot Games
Cloud9 score wild comeback win over TSM in 2019 LCS Summer Split
Shanghai Dragons win Overwatch League Stage 3 playoffs, beating Shock
New PROJECT skins coming to League of Legends for Pyke, Akali, and more
The International 2019 Battle Pass compendium predictions tips
Esports industry to reach $3 billion by 2025 says market reseracher
Team Liquid take first place in LCS Summer Split with win over CLG