The International 12’s prize pool will be $3 million

The International 12 is just several days away and the tournament will bring together 20 amazing teams.

This year, we’ve seen a level of Dota 2 that’s comparable to the very best we’ve seen in the history of the game. Everyone is clearly training hard and doing their best to win. But there’s one problem: the prize is not what it used to be.

At its height, The International had a prize pool of $40 million. Last year, the figure was $19 million and many regarded it as a huge failure on Valve’s part. This time it’s going to be just $3 million, which was roughly the prize pool of The International 3.

This was before the highly successful Battle Pass years, when the Dota 2 community contributed $40 – $160 million to this DLC, whose release became one of the most anticipated moments of the year.

TI is now an old-fashioned Major

Back in 2016, Valve was organizing $3 million Majors. These tournaments were absolutely phenomenal and many, to this day, regard them as some of the best LAN events in the history of the game.

But those were Majors and their prize pools were exceeding all expectations. By contrast, this is The International, Dota 2’s world championship, and the prize pool is roughly $20 – $25 million below expectations!

In esports, it’s all about perception. The number itself is not important. What’s important is what it represents. Ideally, it should represent progress and a growing community, not a 1000% regress and a major sign of a dying community.

First, Valve gave up on the Dota Pro Circuit, which many regarded as a good thing because it will leave a lot more room for tournament organizers to do something more exciting for the community. But that announcement, coupled with no immediate replacement plan and followed by this abysmal TI prize pool is worrying a lot of people.

A lot has been invested into Dota 2 and for many, this game has become their life. Thousands of jobs depend on its success. Valve, being a highly profitable company, can afford to make it a big success even if that means losing a bit of money for the first several years, until the community grows bigger.

Gabe, the Dota 2 hero with the highest networth by far (his fortune is around $4 billion) can definitely afford to keep Dota 2 alive and in a good state. So why this lack of motivation for keeping it at a respectable level?

Header: Valve