win.gg
Win.gg Dota 2 Valve gives update on TI10 being canceled, how DPC will return

Valve gives update on TI10 being canceled, how DPC will return

Steven Rondina
Steven Rondina Published 04/09/2020

Dota 2 is in the worst place it ever has been, and Valve is finally willing to talk about it.

Valve released a blog post entitled “Update on Competitive Scene” that provided more information on the indefinite postponement of The International 10, the cancellation of the Dota Pro Circuit, and the future of the competitive scene. Though it does little to answer the fan outcry that has become increasingly loud over recent months, it does offer Valve’s rationale for some of its decisions.

Valve discussed how its plans for The International 10 went awry due to the ongoing global health situation. Though the company was quick to postpone the event, Valve revealed that it tried to make contingency plans by reaching out to venues around the globe. This plan fell apart in the following weeks as travel restrictions began disrupting both players and teams, pushing any possible plans for a TI10 deep into 2021.

This uncertainty regarding when TI10 would happen forced Valve’s hand regarding the return of the Dota Pro Circuit.

With no clear start date for TI10, there were no effective ways to establish a qualification process for the event. If TI10 was pushed back deep into 2021, it would ultimately require a qualification point decay system that would be unwieldy and awkwardly implemented into the middle of the season. This prompted Valve to cancel the Dota Pro Circuit being rolled out in the fall.

New Dota Pro will likely look like CSGO’s pro scene

Valve gave an update regarding the introduction of the new Dota Pro Circuit. The initial plan was to do away with the previous major and minor system that has been used over the last two seasons in favor of a series of tiered regional leagues with international events in between seasons, like the system used in League of Legends before 2018.

The ongoing global health situation is forcing a change in this regard, with Valve seemingly using something similar to the current structure of the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive scene. This would see the scene revolve around “regional majors” instead of leagues or other international competitions.

“Our outlook right now is that we are anticipating the start of DPC to be in the first month or two of 2021.”

OOF

— Team Secret (@teamsecret) September 4, 2020

“For this upcoming competitive season, there are going to be at least four third party events and leagues in EU/CIS events, three in China, and a few others that are still in the preliminary planning stages and are not able to commit at this time,” Valve said.

The trouble is that while things were good for those regions, it seems as though Southeast Asia and the Americas region didn’t see sufficient interest from tournament organizers. Valve stated it is working with tournament organizers to try and make sure the entire competitive scene is covered internationally.

The Dota Pro Circuit is estimated to return in early 2021.

This will likely begin with notable tournament organizers running events similar to Omega League or ESL One Birmingham. What events will be included, the qualification process, and the potential prize pools, are currently unknown.

Steven Rondina 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.

View full profile
Read Also
Team Spirit wins TI15 to lift a record third Aegis of Champions Dota 2
Team Spirit wins TI15 to lift a record third Aegis of Champions Michael Hassall Team Spirit has defeated TEAM VISION in the grand finals of TI15, The International 2025. In a full five-game series on Aug. 23, Spirit pulled out all the stops and narrowly defeated an incredible VISION team in a back-and-forth series in Shanghai, China. With Spirit’s victory, Illya "Yatoro" Mulyarchuk and Magomed "Collapse" Khalilov become the first ever three-time TI champions, and Team Spirit becomes the first ever organization to lift ...
The International 2026 (TI15) Finals Preview and Predictions Dota 2
The International 2026 (TI15) Finals Preview and Predictions Michael Hassall The International 2026, TI15, has reached its final day, and just three teams remain in the fight for the Aegis of Champions. With the lower bracket final and Grand Final still to come, everything comes down to one final day of Dota 2 action. The lower bracket finalists will first battle for the right to reach the main event’s final series, while the winner will advance to face the upper-bracket ...
TI15’s opening ceremony weaves a tapestry of emotion for Valve’s storied title Dota 2
TI15’s opening ceremony weaves a tapestry of emotion for Valve’s storied title Michael Hassall The main stage of The International 2026, TI15, kicked off today with the traditional opening ceremony heralding the start of the biggest celebration of Dota 2 on the calendar. On Aug. 20 fans in Shanghai, China, and at home, were treated to a rousing 11-minute series of performances and video packages, introducing TI15’s main stage show. Here’s how the magic unfolded: The ceremony began with a graphic which quite literally ...
The International 2026 (TI15) Playoffs preview and predictions Dota 2
The International 2026 (TI15) Playoffs preview and predictions Michael Hassall The Group Stage of The International 2026, TI15, is in the books and we’ve whittled down 16 of the world’s best Dota 2 teams to just eight finalists. One of these talented lineups will be the ones lifting the Aegis of Champions come Sunday, Aug. 23, but until then, there’s plenty of playoff shenanigans that could go on. Below we’ve put together a preview of the upcoming Playoff Games, along ...
The Esports Nations Cup Has Been Postponed to November 2027 News
The Esports Nations Cup Has Been Postponed to November 2027 Ben Boland The 2026 Esports Nations Cup has been suspended until 2027. The Esports Foundation announced the delay on August 18, citing ongoing regional uncertainty. The inaugural competition was scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, comprising over 100 national teams and featuring 16 different games, including League of Legends. According to the Esports Foundation, this decision follows ongoing developments in the region and consultation with key stakeholders. Moving the event ...
Team Spirit vs Iron Wing at TI15: Best Betting Predictions and Picks Dota 2
Team Spirit vs Iron Wing at TI15: Best Betting Predictions and Picks Owen Harsono The playoffs for TI15 starts off with an absolute banger of a match between Team Spirit and Iron Wing, and the betting odds could not be any closer. Here are our TI15 Team Spirit vs Iron Wing predictions. Tournament: The International 2026 (TI15) Stage: Playoffs Game: Dota 2 Format: Best of 3 Betting tip: This is the closest series we have at the first round of the TI15 playoffs, as ...
Who Will Win The International 2026 (TI15)? These Are Our Best Picks Dota 2
Who Will Win The International 2026 (TI15)? These Are Our Best Picks Owen Harsono The TI15 group stage is over, and we’re down to the top eight teams. We’ve now got a pretty good idea of which teams are the favorites heading into the playoffs based on recent performance and season results, so here are the teams we think have the best shot at winning TI15 and claiming some of The International  prize pool. The TI15 group stage saw eight teams exit the event ...