ESL One Malaysia 2022 announced

ESL Gaming has announced the return of its ESL One Dota 2 tournament to Malaysia. The ESL One Malaysia 2022 is set to take place between August 23 – 28 at the Arena of Stars in Resorts World Genting, Genting Highlands, Malaysia. 

This marks ESL One’s third edition taking place in Genting Highlands, following two events back in 2017 and 2018. Furthermore, this will be the first Dota 2 competition in Southeast Asia that will take place in front of a live audience since late 2019.

According to the release, the event won’t be a part of the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) and will feature 12 of the world’s top Dota 2 teams fighting for their share of the $400,000 prize pool. 

Artem Bykov, General Manager for Game Management at ESL Gaming, commented in ESL’s official release:  

“When we hosted ESL One in Genting back in 2017 and 2018, the fans brought along an amazing atmosphere and the place has kept a special place in our hearts ever since. Returning the fantastic world of Dota 2 to the Arena of Stars is a great opportunity and we are thrilled to invite everyone for another amazing esports experience.”

Format 

The ESL One Malaysia 2022 LAN Group Stage kicks off on August 23, with 12 of the world’s best Dota 2 teams battling it out in a classic round-robin format with all matches being best-of-two. The top eight squads will proceed to best-of-three double-elimination playoffs, where they will fight for a spot in the Grand Final being a best-of-five series. 

While the organizer will directly invite half of the teams, the remaining six teams will need to qualify via regional qualifiers. More details about participating teams and qualifiers are yet to be revealed by the organizer.

Only the tournament’s playoff stage will take place in front of a live audience at the Arena of Stars in Resorts World Genting. Tickets for the event are set to go live for sale on ESL One’s official website on Friday, June 10 and will range from RM 69 ($15.70) for one day access to RM 399 ($90.80) for three-day premium access. 

Ahead of The International 

The tournament in Malaysia is scheduled to take place just a week after the Dota Pro Circuit’s regular season concludes at the PGL Arlington Major 2022. The event, scheduled to take place from August 4 – 14, will see 18 of the world’s best Dota 2 teams of the 2022 season battling for a chunk of the $500,000 prize pool, as well as important DPC points. Furthermore, the ESL One Malaysia 2022 can serve as a training ground for The International 2022, which will be held between October 8 – 30 in Singapore.

Header: ESL