Steven R. March 7, 2019
The fourth Dota 2 major of the season is now official, and it's headed to Europe.
After weeks of rumors, the Paris Major has been announced by Mars Media. The event is set to be a special one, as it will take place at Disneyland Paris rather than a traditional studio or arena.
The Paris Major will begin on May 4 and will run through May 12. The tournament will likely follow the standard Dota Pro Circuit major format. It will feature 16 teams competing for their share of a $1 million prize pool and 15,000 Dota Pro Circuit qualifying points to be put towards qualifying for The International 2019.
Though Mars Media is best known for organizing one of the biggest Dota 2 leagues in China, the Paris Major will be its third international event sanctioned by Valve. The organizer hosted two Dota Pro Circuit events in the 2017-2018 season, the MDL Macau Minor and the Changsha Major.
This is Mars' first event outside Asia, and the first ever Dota 2 major to take place in France.
The move represents the next step in a larger push into esports by Disney. The media giant has tested the waters of esports on multiple occasions, with its television network Disney XD broadcasting Overwatch League matches and various fighting game tournaments, most notably the Evo 2017 finals for Super Smash Bros. WiiU and Street Fighter V.
There is some history for esports at the newly announced venue. Disneyland Paris previously hosted the grand finals for League of Legends’ Open Tour France event in November 2018.
While this is exciting news, there are still several outstanding details to be announced for the event. It is not known when the major qualifiers will begin or how many slots each region will receive. One slot will be given to the winner of the event’s sister tournament, the DotaPit Minor, which begins on May 4 in Split, Croatia.
Details for those looking to attend the event can be found on the Paris Major’s official website.