Indonesia is not exactly a third-world country, but it’s clear that the organizers of the Bali Major have tried their best to cut corners and make as much profit as possible from this tournament.
Everything so far has been sloppy, and the Dota 2 community was quick to notice. From the frequent technical problems to the way in which the arena looks, the event is simply a huge downgrade from what we’ve gotten used to.
It seems that Valve is trying really hard to minimize its own costs, at the risk of alienating Dota 2 fans. It’s quite depressing to know the history of this amazing esport and see what it has turned into.
Arguably, Dota 2 is a much better esport than LoL. As MOBA games, both of them are super fun to play. But when it comes to watching pro players compete, Dota is far more engaging and much less of a farm simulator. Something is happening every minute.
With such a great game on their hands and such skilled competitors, you’d think that tournament organizers would prove capable of offering fans a memorable show. But that is not what is happening in Bali these days.
Heroes of both worlds, gather.#WhereLandMeetsSea 🌊 pic.twitter.com/rUP3RIqImZ
— IO Esports @ Bali Major (@ioesportsgg) July 1, 2023
Huge ticket price, poor entertainment
The premium ticket cost for the Bali Major was somewhere around $900. This is a ridiculously high amount but many decided to pay it, just to have the opportunity to fully enjoy the experience of watching the world’s best Dota teams from as close as possible.
On Reddit, people are complaining about production, and rightly so. Anyone who’s tried to watch the matches on Twitch knows just how annoying it can be to experience lags, weird noises, black screens, and so on.
Before you sit down to watch a match, you already anticipate something going wrong. After more than a decade of competition, this should not be happening. Someone should tell Valve to stop working with amateurs because it also reflects poorly on the company itself.
ESL or PGL, despite their many flaws, would have done a much better job. This last Major of the season, given its great importance for the teams involved, should have been organized in Europe. After all, this is the strongest region in Dota 2 and its time zone allows thousands of fans to watch the games more easily.
Header: IO Esports, Epulze