Valve gives update on TI10 being canceled, how DPC will return

Dota 2 is in the worst place it ever has been, and Valve is finally willing to talk about it.

Valve released a blog post entitled “Update on Competitive Scene” that provided more information on the indefinite postponement of The International 10, the cancellation of the Dota Pro Circuit, and the future of the competitive scene. Though it does little to answer the fan outcry that has become increasingly loud over recent months, it does offer Valve’s rationale for some of its decisions.

Valve discussed how its plans for The International 10 went awry due to the ongoing global health situation. Though the company was quick to postpone the event, Valve revealed that it tried to make contingency plans by reaching out to venues around the globe. This plan fell apart in the following weeks as travel restrictions began disrupting both players and teams, pushing any possible plans for a TI10 deep into 2021.

This uncertainty regarding when TI10 would happen forced Valve’s hand regarding the return of the Dota Pro Circuit.

With no clear start date for TI10, there were no effective ways to establish a qualification process for the event. If TI10 was pushed back deep into 2021, it would ultimately require a qualification point decay system that would be unwieldy and awkwardly implemented into the middle of the season. This prompted Valve to cancel the Dota Pro Circuit being rolled out in the fall.

New Dota Pro will likely look like CSGO’s pro scene

Valve gave an update regarding the introduction of the new Dota Pro Circuit. The initial plan was to do away with the previous major and minor system that has been used over the last two seasons in favor of a series of tiered regional leagues with international events in between seasons, like the system used in League of Legends before 2018.

The ongoing global health situation is forcing a change in this regard, with Valve seemingly using something similar to the current structure of the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive scene. This would see the scene revolve around “regional majors” instead of leagues or other international competitions.

“For this upcoming competitive season, there are going to be at least four third party events and leagues in EU/CIS events, three in China, and a few others that are still in the preliminary planning stages and are not able to commit at this time,” Valve said.

The trouble is that while things were good for those regions, it seems as though Southeast Asia and the Americas region didn’t see sufficient interest from tournament organizers. Valve stated it is working with tournament organizers to try and make sure the entire competitive scene is covered internationally.

The Dota Pro Circuit is estimated to return in early 2021.

This will likely begin with notable tournament organizers running events similar to Omega League or ESL One Birmingham. What events will be included, the qualification process, and the potential prize pools, are currently unknown.