Billions of people are staying at home more than they usually would in order to avoid spreading the coronavirus.
The internet has taken hold on this, highlighting different ways people are spending their time. Naturally, video games are among the go-to options for whittling a day away, which has seen Steam breaking player count records and Xbox Live struggling to keep up with the number of people looking to play.
Dota 2 has seen a bit of a boost as well, and fans feel like Valve could capitalize on that with an early rollout of The International 2020 Battle Pass. Fans have taken to social media to implore Valve to give Dota 2 fans impacted by the coronavirus something to play for.
“Okay release battle pass early this year at least,” said one fan.
“Can you at least make an event or start the battle pass early so we’re not bored?” asked another.
Fans spitballed further from there, with some even proposing a special edition battle pass specifically for those impacted by the coronavirus. Others called for an expansion to the Battle Cup program to give players something to look forward to.
Frankly, all of these would be good ideas. Valve’s MOBA does a generally poor job of giving players reason to frequently return. The battle pass remedies this with the introduction of daily and weekly challenges, as well as a maze challenge that tasks players with playing many of the game’s different heroes.
This stands in stark contrast to games like Fortnite, which actively rewards players for spending copious amounts of time in the game.
Of course, the coronavirus’s impact on Dota 2 is significantly greater than just keeping quarantined fans busy for a time. The state of the pro scene right now is largely in limbo.
Coronavirus threatens to upend The International 2020
Games like Overwatch and League of Legends were immediately impacted by the coronavirus, but Dota 2 was unfazed for a long while. Just days ago, pro teams were competing against one another at live events including Dota Summit 12 and the StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor Season 3.
When the coronavirus’ hit Dota 2 however, it was a devastating blow.
The ESL One LA Major was
cancelled just a few days before it was set to start. This was followed by Valve also scrapping the OGA Dota PIT Minor 2020 and 2020 Epicenter Major. The entire professional calendar is built around The International, and removing two majors from the equation leaves teams without an obvious path to the event and lacking the paychecks they could have earned by competing.
Worse, the coronavirus threatens to scrap The International 2020 entirely. Events are being cancelled months in advance and with whole countries in Europe shutting down public events, questions are being raised about TI being held in August.
The coronavirus situation is a rapidly evolving situation however, and fans can still hold out hope that the event will happen as planned.
Steven Rondina
About Steven Rondina
Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.
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