The International 10 prize pool surges past $30 million

Steven Rondina Published 25/07/2020

The International 10 Battle Pass continues raising millions of dollars for the tournament.

The prize pool of TI10 has officially cleared the $30 million mark in just over 60 days. This continues the roaring pace of the prize pool’s growth, fueled by the incredible popularity of Dota 2’s battle pass. This happens just a bit beyond the halfway point of the TI10 Battle Pass’ life span, positioning TI10 to blow away the record set by TI9 and potentially hit other new milestones.

The success of the TI10 Battle Pass has been driven by two key factors. Following the TI9 Battle Pass’ renewed focus on unique and quality skins, Valve took this a step further in the TI10 Battle Pass by making its key offering a set of new arcanas for Windranger, Wraith King, and Queen of Pain, as well as new hero personas for Pudge and Anti-Mage.

Along with this was an expansion to the battle pass level bundle, which gave players 120 levels and a bundle of Immortal Treasures for $30. While previous years only offered players the opportunity to purchase one bundle, this year allowed players the chance to purchase two.

The result has been the TI10 Battle Pass outpacing any previous installment in terms of fundraising.

With more than 50 days remaining and the third Immortal Treasures yet to be released, along with the possibility of a second Collector’s Cache, there is a real possibility that the TI10 prize pool could approach $40 million.

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TI10 prize pool is big, but when will the event happen?

The International has long made other esports competitions look cheap by comparison. Even the Fortnite World Cup, which sought out to have the largest prize pool in esports history at $30 million, was eclipsed within months by TI9’s $34.3 million.

Though the TI10 prize pool’s explosive growth would suggest that this year’s event is going to be bigger than ever, but it’s uncertain that it will take place in the immediate future.

TI10 was indefinitely postponed earlier this year following the cancellation of the second half of the Dota Pro Circuit. It was previously scheduled to take place in Stockholm, Sweden in August. Valve previously suggested that the event will not take place until some point in 2021, with no estimated date and the location left uncertain.

Given the fact that The International makes up more than 50% of the prize pool winnings in Dota 2, this leaves most of the pro Dota 2 players in an awkward position.

Many within the scene are hoping that some of that money will be redistributed into other tournaments and the upcoming regional Dota 2 leagues.

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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