TI10 final prize pool clears $40 million minutes before closing

Steven Rondina • October 9, 2020 9:21 pm

The International 10 Battle Pass is officially closed.

After 137 days, the TI10 Battle Pass generated an enormous sum of cash, boosting the postponed event’s prize pool to $40,004,772. This shatters the previous record set by The International 2019, which had a prize pool of $34,330,068.

That prize pool comes despite constant controversy around the battle pass among Dota 2 fans. Though the battle pass season is typically a highlight of the year in Dota 2, this year saw a steady stream of negativity in regards to the battle pass features as well as the overall state of the game.

Early on, many railed against the new mini-game Sideshop and the changes to the Immortal Treasure recycling system. From there, fans blasted some of the exclusive skins offered by the TI10 Battle Pass, particularly the hero personas for Pudge and Anti-Mage. As the battle pass began to wind down, Valve repeatedly delayed the launch of the Immortal Treasure 3 and ultimately cancelled the 2020 Trove Carafe.

Despite that, Valve has better refined its methods for wringing money out of players’ wallets.

After the popularity of the TI9 Battle Pass and its focus on high quality and exclusive skins, the TI10 Battle Pass doubled down with three arcanas and two hero personas. Alongside this was an expansion to the annual Battle Level Bundle deal, letting players buy two bundles instead of the typical one. As with 2019, two Collector’s Cache treasures were released instead of one. Last but not least, Valve offered discounted level bundles in the final days of the TI10 Battle Pass to incentivize more spending from those who were close to locking up rewards.

Catch up on the TI10 Battle Pass controversies

TI10 Battle Pass a success, but The International is still postponed indefinitely

The tally of $40,004,772 is enormous and will continue the tradition of The International being the richest esports event of the year. Eventually.

The International 10 is no longer known as The International 2020 because the event is indefinitely postponed. Valve is currently hoping to hold the event in 2021 in Stockholm, Sweden, but no exact date has been announced and the location is still subject to change.

That raises the question of what Valve is planning to do with the money from the TI10 Battle Pass.

Should TI10 be held in late 2021, Valve is almost certain to launch another battle pass. What then would Valve do with the money from this year’s battle pass? That remains unknown.

Valve is set to sponsor third-party Dota 2 events, starting with two events held by South America’s Movistar Liga. These events will boast a combined prize pool of $50,000, so even if Valve was planning to spread some of this money around to other leagues, it doesn’t seem as though a significant amount of it will be redistributed.

Fans and pro players probably don’t need to worry that the publisher will simply pocket the cash, but the exact fate of more than $40 million is unknown at this time.