TI11: Player record and prize pool low

The International 2022 has come to an end, with Tundra Esports becoming the best Dota 2 team of 2022. While the prize pool was grim compared to previous years, the game’s player base is through the roof.

The final day of The International 2022 saw an amazing finale, causing the backlash related to the Battle Pass content to cool off significantly.

The TI11 prize pool is weak

After a sharp jump in early sales that saw Dota 2 surpass one million players for the first time in three years, the TI11’s prize pool has surpassed $18 million, and nearly reached the $19 million mark. 

That’s a significant improvement from the stagnant prize pool growth prior to the start of TI11, but it wasn’t enough to make a difference in the historical rankings for both the event and the esport as a whole.

Unlike previous years, the 2022 Battle Pass only contributes to the prize pool of TI11 halfway through its term, until the end of Part I on November 2nd. From then on, the 25% of each purchase, which would have gone towards the prize pool, goes directly to Valve instead — something the community has been very vocal about.

Because of this time cut and the lack of content to boost initial sales, TI11 was the first event in 10 years of The International not to beat the previous year’s total.

No record amount reached

Not only TI11 can’t compete with TI10’s record-breaking $40 million, at this rate, it probably won’t even rank in the top five esports tournaments of all time in terms of the overall prize pool.

With $18.9 million in prize money, TI11 surpasses TI5, becoming the sixth-largest prize pool in esports history.

Dota 2 reaches 1 million players

While the prize pool is weak, the game has surpassed one million concurrent players for the first time in over three years, presumably thanks to free items. Dota 2 player numbers have steadily increased over the past few months, but just a few days ago, Valve really stepped on the gas again with the announcement of the TI11 Swag Bag.

This item gives everyone who plays a certain number of Dota 2 matches before January 12, 2023 a set of free goodies as part of a promotion celebrating TI11. This includes a free Arcana from the in-game shop, level 1 access to Battle Pass 2022, and a month of Dota Plus.

According to the Steam Charts, the number of Dota 2 players reached a high of 1,038,848 concurrent players yesterday. This is just a day after surpassing 900,000 players for the first time since May 2019 and is the highest total number of players online since March 2019.

There is a chance that this number will reach new heights after TI11 ends, as the second part of Battle Pass 2022 starts on November 2. The highest number of players Dota 2 has ever reached was during spring 6 years ago — 1,291,328 players. While it’s unlikely that this number will be matched by free items alone, Valve could try to reach that mark again through new content.

Header: Valve