The International
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Dota 2's biggest tournament will return to Seattle this year
For the first time since 2017, The International, Dota 2's most prestigious tournament, will take place in Valve's hometown.
Valve wants cities to bid on hosting The International
Cities that have lost out on bids to host the Olympics or other big events may have another opportunity to shine. Valve Software is soliciting bids from "host cities" to put on The International -- the annual Dota 2 championship and one of the top esports tournaments. Today, Valve issued a request for proposal (RFP) document, shared by Polygon, that asks cities to throw their hats in the ring as potential hosts for next year's tournament.
'Dota 2' champions won more money than top Wimbledon players
It's not just Fortnite champs who are making conventional sports players seem underpaid. OG has won Valve's The International Dota 2 tournament for the second year in a row (the first time any team has won back-to-back), pulling in a record-setting $15,603,133 out of an even larger $34,292,599 prize pool. That's not just the largest top prize in esports history -- it could also be a windfall for each of the five team members.
Dota 2 championships return to Seattle on August 3
In a brief blog update, the developers behind Valve's hit multiplayer online battle arena Dota 2 reveal that the game's annual championship tournament, better known as The International, will be held in Seattle from August 3-8. Tickets are not yet on sale, but information on when and where fans can buy theirs will be made available through the blog shortly. If you're a Dota 2 player hoping that your team might be among the 16 competing in The International, you'll be waiting until May 1 to receive either an official invitation or heartbreak. [Image: Valve]
The Dota 2 International pulls in 2 million concurrent views
The Dota 2 world tournament, The International, drew a digital crowd of more than 20 million people, Valve has revealed. Of the 20 million, 2 million watched The International 2014 at the same time, meaning the peak number of concurrent users was more than triple the population of the city where the tournament was held, Seattle. While impressive, the true numbers for viewership is actually higher, as the 20 million and 2 million figures do not include views from MTG Europe, CCTV China TV or ESPN, the latter of which hosted Dota 2 events on both ESPN2 and ESPN3. So, a record-shattering prize pool, a broadcast partnership with ESPN and now more than 2 million concurrent viewers out of 20 million total. Not too shabby, Valve. Not too shabby. [Image: Valve]
Newbee wins first place, $5 million in Dota 2 International
Newbee takes home more than $5 million in prize money after defeating ViCi Gaming in The International Dota 2 Grand Finals today. This is part of the largest payout ever in an eSports competition, with a final pool of $10.9 million. Even second place isn't too shabby: ViCi Gaming takes home $1.5 million. Newbee entered the finals with a 7-8 record, compared with ViCi's 12-3 record. Newbee lost the first of five matches in the Grand Finals, but rallied and won the following three in a row. Both teams hail from China. Third place, Evil Geniuses, wins $1 million, and fourth place, DK, gets $819,000. See the complete breakdown of winners on the Dota 2 website. [Image: Valve]
Watch the Dota 2 International Grand Finals right now
The Dota 2 International Grand Finals are live right now, with Newbee versus ViCi Gaming in a best-of-five matchup. The teams are competing for their piece of the almost-$11 million prize pool. Here's how you can watch (yes, right now): ESPN3: Watch online if you have one of the supported cable subscriptions, or watch via the ESPN apps on consoles. Twitch: The official Dota 2 International channel, complete with all the chat commentary you never knew you wanted. Dota 2: Watch the stream directly on the Dota 2 website. Game client: Load up Dota 2 and enjoy the stream from there. "At the end of Phase 2 (group stage) there could not have been two teams further apart," the Dota team says. "VG had dominated the entire set of round robin matches ending on top of the standings with a 12-3 record. Newbee on the other hand, squeaked in with a 7-8 record that forced them into a three way TieBreaker."
Dota 2 plus ESPN2 equals televised 2014 International
Valve has announced that streaming service ESPN3 will broadcast the Dota 2 International 2014 this weekend, adding yet another route through which fans and newcomers alike can catch up on the tournament. Valve also announced that ESPN2 will host an exclusive preview of the tournament's final match at 8:30 p.m. Pacific on Sunday, featuring previous game highlights and interviews with players and Gabe Newell. An ESPN broadcast is just the most recent accomplishment for the championship series, which kicked off yesterday and runs through Monday; thanks to crowdfunding, The International 2014 now holds the record for largest eSports prize pool, with more than $10 million to split between the winners. The line between eSports and traditional sports is becoming blurry, indeed. Welp, you know what this means: everyone, head to your favorite sports bar and request they turn on ESPN2 on Sunday night. This weekend, Valve is giving us an excuse to go out and still get our video game fix. [Image: Valve]
Dota 2's 10 million dollar e-sports tourney will stream on ESPN
Whether or not you believe e-sports are real sports, Dota 2 is at least big enough for sports TV. Valve today publicized a deal that will bring streaming coverage of its MOBA's The International tournament to ESPN. Well, ESPN3, which is sort of like ESPN in the same way Dota 2 is like a sport. We're kidding. ESPN3 will broadcast matches live, and come Sunday, "viewers can tune in to ESPN2 for an exclusive preview of the tournament's final match, featuring highlights from the games, expert analysis, plus interviews with the players and Valve's Gabe Newell." The International championships begin tomorrow in Seattle with a prize pool worth over $10 million. It turns out your mom was wrong: You can get rich and famous playing video games. [With thanks to tipster Mike!]
Dota 2 International playoffs are live today
The International Dota 2 championship kicks off today with phase one of the playoffs – matches are best of three, with the losing team eliminated. The International finals kick off in full July 18 - 21 at the Seattle Key Arena, but matches are also streamed online. This year's International has a prize pool of more than $10 million, with $4.8 million reserved for the winning team. Twitch has all of the live streams, or you can watch via the Dota 2 website. For uninitiated Dota 2 fans, there's a Newcomer's Broadcast that provides commentary aimed at helping new players and viewers understand what's going on. [Image: Valve]
Dota 2 embraces newcomers with International broadcast
Dota 2's world championship tournament, AKA: The International, will feature a "Newcomer's Broadcast" this year to help those unfamiliar with the game's extensive jargon acronyms keep up with the action. "New to Dota? Or maybe you play Dota but have never gotten interested in the professional side of the game," an overview page for The International reads. "Welcome to the Newcomer's Broadcast, an English stream happening alongside the main stream, featuring commentary aimed at easing people into understanding the exciting world of BKBs, tri-lanes, and counter-picks." In other words, if you just scratched your head at those last three concepts, the Newcomer Broadcast sounds like the place to be. For those who couldn't snatch tickets in time to attend The International 2014 in-person at the Seattle Key Arena on July 18 - 21 but don't need the difference between "bot" and "BoT" explained, Valve is also introducing DVR broadcasts and a multicast feature that recaps the tournament's highlights this year. [Image: Valve]
Dota 2 makes waves with $10 million International prize pool
Thanks to Valve's crowdfunding initiatives, the Dota 2 world championship, otherwise known as The International, now has a prize pool totaling more than $10 million. Which is like ... *counts out fingers* ... a lot. It's enough to eclipse last year's $2.9 million prize pool several times over, and the numbers are still climbing. Here's how it works: Valve forwards $2.50 to the prize pool for every $10 Compendium purchased, as well as 25 percent of money spent on Compendium points. So what's a Compendium? Think of it like an interactive Dota 2 almanac, where owners can earn rewards by predicting winners, completing in-game quests, and so on. Compendium owners also gain access to exclusive rewards such as special chat emoticons or free unlocks of alternate character voices as the crowdfunding campaign reaches new milestones. It took just shy of a day for Compendium sales to beat the previous prize pool. Due to its obscene amounts of cash, The International 2014 will be the record-holder for largest prize pool in eSports history when it commences on July 18 at the Key Arena in Seattle. [Image: Valve/Joystiq]
Dota 2 International prize pool exceeds last year's $2.8 million
Proving that crowdfunding isn't just for the little guys, Valve has gathered enough money from fans to eclipse the 2013 prize pool for their world championship Dota 2 tournament, The International. To rake in such a large amount of dough(-ta 2), Valve is selling the Compendium, which allows owners to earn rewards by tuning in for matches, making winner predictions and joining a fantasy league, among other activities. Each Compendium costs $9.99, and each Compendium purchased adds $2.50 to The International 2014's prize pool for the competing teams while simultaneously contributing to various stretch goals for the game. Having reached the $2.9 million goal, Dota 2 will receive an All Random Deathmatch mode available to all players. At $5 million the game will receive a 1v1, mid-lane-only matchmaking option, also available to all players. There are plenty others as well, and the highest stretch goal, $6 million, will allow Compendium owners to customize a building in their team's base. Valve's 2013 prize pool totaled $2,874,381 - this year, it took the community less than a day to surpass that number. You may also recall that it took less than an hour for tickets to sell out. The game is kind of popular. [Image: Valve]
Dota 2 International 2014 tickets sold out in less than an hour
Tickets for Valve's Dota 2 International 2014 Championship have sold out. Quickly. The event's roughly 10,000 tickets sold within an hour, according to what Valve's Doug Lombardi told Rod "Slasher" Breslau. Is it safe to say this game might be just a little popular? Those hoping to make a trip to Seattle for the competition aren't totally out of luck; general admission tickets can be found on eBay for as low as $200, though that's still twice as much as their initial, non-secondhand $99 price tag. Those looking for some price comparisons should know that floor seating tickets were originally sold for $199, while VIP tickets were priced at $499. The Dota 2 International 2014 will take place at the Key Arena in Seattle from July 18 to July 21. This is the International's fourth year in existence, with last year's International boasting a prize pool of more than $2.8 million, the largest in eSports history. The prize pool for this year's championship has not been finalized. [Image: Valve]
Bridging the gap between casual and pro at the Chicago Dota 2 Winter Open
At Ignite Gaming Lounge in Chicago, Illinois, the crowd is losing its mind. It's grand finals of the Chicago Dota 2 Winter Open, a two-day, double-elimination, 16-team throwdown, and for some reason someone has just picked Meepo. For those of you who aren't in the Dota 2 loop, suffice to say that Meepo isn't a standard hero pick for a tournament. Picking Meepo in a match with $1,000 on the line is a lot like jumping out of a plane and wishing for a parachute -- an incredible, amazing story if it works and an embarrassing, painful death if it doesn't, with the odds heavily on the latter. The announcers, broadcasting the match simultaneously on Dota TV (Dota 2's in-game spectating client) and Twitch, are dumbfounded. The chat channels are exploding. And as everyone witnesses the Meepo gamble pay off in the most incredible way, the excitement only expands and intensifies. But perhaps what's most special about this Meepo pick, about this final game between two local teams that have bested challenger after challenger, is not the risky strategy or the money on the line. What's special is that anyone is watching it at all.
Alliance wins The International 2013 Dota 2 tournament, earns over $1.4 million
The winner of The International 2013 Dota 2 Championship is Alliance, a group of five players from Sweden. Alliance beat out team Natus Vincere in a five-game match to earn the title and win more than $1.4 million. The five-day event was held in Seattle, Washington this year, and had a prize pool of over $2.8 million. Natus Vincere won the tournament in 2011, the first year it was held during Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, and took home $1 million. Valve is offering replays of the event on the official Dota 2 site.
Today's live gaming: Pokemon, Dota 2, Starcraft 2 and Zelda
A trio of eSports competitions are streaming for your viewing pleasure today, as is the kickoff of a week-long Zelda marathon for charity. Coverage of the Starcraft 2 World Championships' European league has already begun, but the American league will start reportin' for duty at 4 p.m. EST. Day 4 of The International's main event continues at 3 p.m. EST, which can be viewed here or live in Dota 2. The Pokémon World Championships for video game finalists start at 8 p.m. EST, with the trading card game finalists following at 10:30 p.m. EST. You can watch both here. If you're more into watching people raise money for charity rather than for themselves, the Triple Speed Runners are launching a week-long Zelda Marathon at 7 p.m. EST. The marathon will follow the timeline of the Zelda series rather than the order of each game's release, starting with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Prizes can be won by watching the stream, but 100% of donations will go to Child's Play Charity.
The International: A Primer on Dota 2 and the biggest single-game tournament in eSports history
Dota is a Big Deal. The original Defense of the Ancients, which was nothing more than a mod for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, became a core pillar of the competitive online gaming scene thanks to its tight balance and deep strategy. It was played by millions and showcased at tournaments across the globe. Dota is considered one of the primary influences on the now booming genre of games that we refer to as MOBAs; League of Legends is supposedly the biggest game in the world, but without Dota, it would have never existed. When Valve snagged the mod's developer, known as IceFrog, and charged him with making a sequel, expectations were high. Dota is a game celebrated for its intricate design, complex metagame, and robust character roster -- the pressure to improve on this formula without losing the basics was immense. It took over two years of somewhat closed beta testing to get everything right, and changes rolled out every week like Clockwerk. But that's all history. Dota 2 launched last month, finally. For better or worse, the game is considered complete (minus a few heroes). And what better way to celebrate the launch of a hotly anticipated title than by throwing one of the biggest tournaments in all of competitive gaming? Welcome to The International.
Dota 2 no longer in beta; Valve implements new player queue
Dota 2 has been in beta for around two years. In that time it became effectively the biggest game on Steam, with a monthly playerbase of over three million and a maximum concurrency of 300,000 players. There's even a $2 million tournament coming up in August centered on this game that's lived for so long behind somewhat closed doors. Every beta must end, of course, and Dota 2's is no different. Valve has announced that starting today, Dota 2 is officially out of beta and that all Steam users can now download the free-to-play game at their leisure. There's just one small catch: Thanks to what Valve is anticipating will be a sudden crush of new players, a launch queue has been established that will bring people to Dota 2 in controlled waves. To get into the launch queue, all you need to do is download Dota 2 on Steam. The first wave of new players should gain access to the game sometime this week. In the meantime, players can (and really, really should) play the game's single-player tutorial missions.
Dota 2 to launch before August 7, ahead of The International
Dota 2 is due to launch this summer in its full form throughout North America and Europe, Valve's VP of Marketing Doug Lombardi tells Gamespot. It will hit before this year's The International championship, which runs August 7 - 11 at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, Washington. This is the third installment of Dota 2's The International tournament, which offers a prize of $1 million for the Dota 2 team that proves it's the best in the world. Dota 2 entered beta in 2011, and nearly anyone can now purchase an early access key and start playing immediately. The early access key costs $30 and adds some downloadable goodies, though Dota 2 is a free-to-play game and it should live up to that descriptor when it goes live sometime before August.
