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Dota 2 enhances support for competitive play

Dota 2 competitive play esports something something

Valve is adding new tournament-focused features to the DOTA 2 beta, intended to make the game more attractive and user-friendly for competitive players (and open up a new source of revenue from spectators).

In addition to improved support for teams, including additional stats, team matchmaking, and logos, the new update adds a "Tournament View" feature that allows fans to pay to watch current and past tournaments from within the game. "For the tournaments you've purchased," the Dota Team explains, "you'll find a complete breakdown of the tournament's matches, and be able to quickly jump in and watch them in your game client (whether it's a live match, or a replay)."

DOTA 2 is now officially the weirdest free-to-play game ever. It's free to play, but you can buy into the beta before launch, and you can now pay to watch other people play it.