Fans might see another Dota Pro Circuit major event transition into an online league.
ESL One Los Angeles 2020 was forced to break new ground. The tournament was initially announced as the third major tournament of the DPC season before Valve was forced to make changes.
The event shifted to an online regional league. ESL’s attempt at salvaging the tournament was relatively successful, and One Game Agency will most likely follow suit.
OGA announced the return of a prestigious Dota 2 event in Croatia. AMD SAPPHIRE DOTA PIT Minor 2020 was supposed to be another big event in the DPC calendar, but it suffered the same fate as ESL One Los Angeles.
Recently, Dota 2 TV tickets for AMD SAPPHIRE DOTA PIT were revealed in the Dota 2 client. They showed a brief description for the event, including details that the tournament will be played in a multi-regional format.
AMD SAPPHIRE DOTA PIT tickets for the China region and the combined European and CIS region are reportedly available in-game. However, fans saw a significant decrease in the planned prize pool.
Dota 2’s elite returns to Split, Croatia!
AMD SAPPHIRE DOTA PIT Minor 2020 will take place from April 23 to April 26. Eight #dota2 pro teams will compete for the $300,000 prize pool and DPC points!
More info ➡️➡️ https://t.co/9e389Gz0Tc pic.twitter.com/CGQMcejlDq
— OGA Dota PIT (@OGADotaPIT) March 10, 2020
The tournament now boasts a total of $210,000 prize pool. Unlike other online leagues, the prize pool was not divided equally between the two regional events. The European and CIS region will claim a total of $150,000 which is 71% of the prize money.
Meanwhile, the AMD SAPPHIRE DOTA PIT China region has a $60,000 prize pool. Based on the ticket description, there are only two regional leagues. This is similar to what Beyond the Summit did for its BTS Pro Series that featured Southeast Asia and the Americas only.
The tournament is set to begin on May 1, 2020. The schedule will overlap with the ongoing online leagues in Europe, CIS, and China regions. Many of the teams who might be involved in the competition are currently participating in the WePlay! Pushka League and DPL-CDA Professional League.
OGA has yet to make an official announcement about the participating teams and event schedule.
The change in the competitive scene has impacted not just tournament organizers, but also the professional players. It limited players to sign to esports organizations within their respective region. Teams have also started rebuilding their rosters to maintain a better quality of practice given ongoing travel restrictions.
Indeed, the Dota Pro Circuit is still at crossroads. Valve remains silent about the future of DPC and The International 2020.
