There is a common misconception that Dota 2 is free to play. In reality, the only way to access the Dota store and start playing for free is with a Starter Pack. Everyone else needs to fork out $10 if they want to try the game before buying. Although it may seem to you like a low barrier, but it’s still a disincentive for many gamers. As most Dota 2 Tournament players are in Russia, Eastern Europe or South East Asia, this is less of an issue. However, it makes it harder to attract Western audiences when you want to host tournaments using Valve’s proprietary software.
Complicating things even further is that Valve doesn’t run their own Dota 2 tournament, nor do they directly fund any third-party tournament organizers. Dota 2 Tournament does have a competitive scene, but most of the top-tier competition is organized by third parties. The International 3 was run by Valve, and GamesCom hosted the European qualifiers, but beyond that, it’s not uncommon for there to be no direct involvement from the developer.
Table of Contents
Does Dota 2 Tournament compete with other Esports Games?
According to Erik Johnson at Valve, this is not an oversight. Dota 2 competes with many games in the esports market, including Riot’s League of Legends. Focusing on third-party tournaments makes sense because they can cater to their audiences directly. If you run a Warcraft 3 tournament, your audience will be primarily Warcraft fans. If you’re running a Dota 2 tournament, your audience will be primarily Dota fans. Anyone who isn’t interested in the game and doesn’t want to spend $10 just for the sake of watching won’t watch.
If you can give those fans something, they want – such as a Team Fortress 2 tournament – even if they aren’t particularly interested in the game itself, you can still raise awareness and interest in your event. Valve probably isn’t losing much money by not competing in the third party scene, but they’re able to generate a lot of goodwill and create opportunities to tie Dota 2 back into their other games.
There’s also the fact that several organizers could make use of Steam’s tournament creation software. One of the first things I did when I started playing Dota 2 Turnament was to look for a way to make my tournaments, but it isn’t available yet. We also know that Valve is working on new features for Steam Workshop, which will allow people to create their cosmetics more easily. It’s possible that this system could be adapted for use in Dota 2 and maybe even future Valve titles.
Few more details on Dota 2 Tournament:-
On the other hand, we may have already seen this functionality. Spectator packs can be used to add UI elements and information displays to a broadcast, but they’re mostly used for the minimap. Instead of relying on DotaTV to see all relevant information, viewers can bring their interface with them. This is infinitely useful for casters who want to show additional on-screen elements on top of what’s already available in DotaTV. It also allows streamers to create displays that are specific to their needs. If Valve does have plans for a custom tournament system, it will make sense to create something that allows streamers, casters and competitive players to tie into the same information feeds. Of course, there are also plenty of third-party tools that can be used by anyone hosting a tournament.
This leads us into another interesting avenue where Valve competes with other developers – making money from Dota 2 tournament tickets.
Talking about Dota 2 Tournament Tickets:-
Every major Dota 2 tournament has its in-game ticket. These typically cost $9.99 and give you access to prediction tickets, compendium levels, courier styles and other cosmetic items. Even if the prize pool is funded entirely by competitor passes or crowdfunding, Valve still gets a cut of every sale that goes through their platform.
This isn’t a bad thing by any means. Dota 2 tournament have raised the most money of any competitive event in history, with The International 3’s $2.8 million prize pool being the standout achievement from last year. If Valve were to run their events, it is unlikely that they would match this figure as they would likely have to share a larger chunk of their profits with the players. There are also concerns that Valve might tighten the restrictions on third-party tournaments, making it more difficult for organizers to turn a profit from these events. On the other hand, supporting multiple major events is great news for everyone involved and gives Dota 2 fans something to look forward to, whether it’s at home or in the arena.
Valve to start Dota 2 Tournament regularly:-
It’s very unlikely that we’ll see Valve starting regular Dota 2 tournament any time soon. Still, after that also there are plenty of other benefits to playing in the third-party scene as well as several downsides to running your events. We might not know what the future holds, but it’s nice to see that Dota 2 continues to develop and grow. Whether it’s major events like The International or small tournaments like joinDOTA Masters, there always seems to be something for everyone.
