Dota 2’s grandest competition of them all, The International 10, is already making history months ahead of opening its doors. The tournament was scheduled to take place from August 18 until August 23, but was indefinitely delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It seems likely that Dota 2: The International 10 will now take place in the early months of 2021, however it may go ahead, as with many tournaments, without fans. As this will be the tenth instalment of the culmination of the Dota Pro Circuit, fans expected great things.
The International’s prize pools are partially crowdfunded by players. 25% of battle pass sales and related purchases go towards the prize pool after Valve has put in an initial amount. This year, Valve awarded $1.6 million to the pot, but on August 26 fans had already created the biggest prize pool in esports history by taking the total up to $34,330,068.
However, with eight days remaining before the prize pool is closed, the amount passed another huge milestone. The total currently stands at just over $39 million, after a recent spike due to the addition of Immortal Treasure III to the International 10 Battle Pass. However, some analysts believe the prize pool is a “problem”.
As you can see, The International prize pool has grown each year for the last five years, but the tenth anniversary will be a difficult target to beat in 2021. However, at the current trajectory it doesn’t look like the prize pool will reach $40 million, which is definitely a shame for those of us who love round numbers. Whether it reaches $40 million or not, it just goes to show the power of players – and their purses.
