True Sight is gone, but ESL has the next best thing

The wait for the new True Sight commemorating The International 2022 may never end, but a tournament host has stepped in to fill the void in fans’ hearts.

True Sight remains one of the most acclaimed esports documentary series ever created. The series ran sporadically until a grand finale for The International 2021, but Valve appears to have officially axed the series after rumors of its cancellation. This is a massive disappointment for fans, as it gave a rare behind-the-scenes look at TI. Since then, Dota 2 fans have been largely left in the dark, but all that is changing thanks to the efforts of ESL.

Here’s everything fans should know about Unmuted, the spiritual successor to True Sight.

Is Unmuted related to True Sight?

Unmuted is a completely separate series from True Sight, but it was clearly inspired by Valve’s documentary series.

Unmuted is ESL’s Dota 2 documentary series meant to give fans a look behind the scenes of major tournaments. It first started in 2023 with a documentary for ESL One Berlin. At the event, Gaimin Gladiators earned its third championship of 2023 on the path to winning all three majors in a single season. The inaugural edition was only 30 minutes long and focused on only three teams. However, the scope of the series has gradually increased with each iteration. Here are all the Unmuted entries so far.

• ESL One Berlin: Unmuted
• ESL One Kuala Lumpur: Unmuted
• ESL One Birmingham: Unmuted

The latest edition dropped on December 8, 2024, detailing the events of the ESL One Birmingham. The latest entry clocks in at 94 minutes. Instead of focusing on the favorites, the documentary delves into every team at the event. The core storylines include Team Liquid’s nightmare bracket, BetBoom’s surprising comeback, and Team Falcons’ path to the podium.

Unmuted resembles True Sight in many ways, but also adds a few new twists to the formula. The heated backstage discussions between players are still present, with banter and inside jokes alternating with tense discussions on drafts, vendettas, and personal play. The documentary inserts key gameplay moments between the discussions, giving visual examples of what the players are discussing. Overall, the production quality is about 90% of True Sight.

That missing 10% is made up for with some additions from ESL. Player interviews from the event are inserted reality show-style between the games, offering new takes and retrospectives on matches. ESL’s status as tournament organizer gives it direct access to players while Valve had to work with PGL to coordinate content for True Sight. Sadly, the animated Source Film Engine shorts remain absent.

While it has yet to reach the popularity of True Sight, ESL’s new Unmuted Dota 2 documentary series should scratch the itch, and new fans have quite a few new documentaries to work though.