META TITLE: Where Does the Prize Pool of DOTA 2 Come From?
META DESCR: How come the DOTA 2 The International prize pool is $40 million? Where does this money come from? Is it from advertisers? Read on to find out!
If you are just a regular casino player, you can participate in a slot tournament and compete for a share of the prize pool at a casino online, but if you are a DOTA 2 pro and hunt for bigger prizes, you can take your share of the huge prize pool at DOTA 2 The International. However, did you ever wonder where the prize pool comes from? Read on to find out everything about DOTA 2 The International and its prize pools.
What Is Dota 2 The International?
The International is an annual championship event for DOTA 2. It is a tournament where 20 teams fight until a champion emerges. The first The International was held in 2011. There are 20 teams, but only 12 of them come from the DOTA Pro Circuit. The other six teams come from regional playoffs in several regions. These are:
● China
● North America
● South America
● Southeast Asia
● Eastern Europe
● Western Europe
The event starts with what is called an invitation to the Dota Pro Circuit. So, how does it work? There are 12 teams that receive a direct invitation and six other teams that come from the regional playoffs. In some seasons, there are only 18 teams; in others – 20 teams.
Where Does the Money Come From?
The prize pool for the tournament is, what is called in the industry, crowdfunded. The way it works is through the Battle Pass system. This method is how it has been since 2013. Not all the money goes to the prize pool. A quarter of this fund goes to the prizes pool.
The formula for the prizes pool in DOTA 2 competitions is base + contributed = total.
The base prize comes from the company, and the contribution comes from the fans who want to see the fight. DOTA 2 has the largest prize pool in eSports history. In 2022, the prize pool reached $40 million. In 2011, DotA 2 became the first biggest eSport when the developers said that there would be a competition and the prize was $1.6 million. The event happened in Germany. At that time, eSports were just nickels and dimes. The prizes were only a couple of thousand dollars.
In 2013, Valve, the lead developer for DOTA 2, introduced The International Compendium. It is an interactive book on the tournament. The DOTA 2 base prize pool also increased whenever somebody bought the Compendium. In addition, the book sale contributed $2.50 to the prize pool. At that time, they also introduced stretch goals. It allowed players to unlock special items and bonuses for players who bought the interactive digital book.
In 2016, Valve decided to change the Compendium into the Battle Pass. This purchase allowed the players to access more quests and get more rewards. It also offered more achievements for the players. The rewards for the Battle Pass went directly to the people who bought it. However, instead of adding $2.50 to the DOTA 2 International prize pool, each purchase of Battle Pass added 25% to it. Because of this change, Valve raised $20 million for The International 2016. The grand prize for that year was $9.1 million.Here is a table of the prize pools for the last four years.
Year | Base Prize Pool | Contributed | Total |
2022 | $1,600,000 | $38,418,195 | $40,018,195 |
2021 | $1,600,000 | $32,840,068 | $34,440,068 |
2020 | $1,600,000 | $32,730,068 | $25,532,177 |
2019 | $1,600,000 | 23932177 | $1,600,000 |
What Is a Battle Pass?
A Battle Pass is a type of monetization that is not exclusive to the DOTA 2 universe. Although it originated in DOTA 2, other game developers adapted it many years ago. A Battle Pass gives players access to the tournament and event features. The player will also get cosmetic items in the game. A wearable cosmetic item or a weapon does not add special powers to the player’s character. To purchase a Battle Pass, one must go to the official website of The International. Here, one will see three options:
● Level 1 Bundle – costs $9.99
● Level 50 Bundle – costs $29.35
● Level 100 Bundle – costs $44.99
You do not need a Battle Pass to be able to play DOTA 2, as it is a free-to-play game. It only gives you more content. There are many rewards that a player can get, such as collective rewards, emoticons and banner upgrades. Most importantly, a player can contribute to The International.
The Battle Pass gives the player a chance to join new guilds. People can join a community of like-minded players and work together to upgrade and level up their guilds. Players can also access daily contracts. A player can claim a contract from a pool of several objectives in a day. If a player successfully completes the objective, he gets rewarded, and so does his guild.
There is also the guild challenge where players can participate in a weekly goal. Each challenge is unlocked after the previous one is completed. Guilds that succeed will receive guild points. To get this reward, a player must work with at least three guild members to win the challenge.
Overall, it is a win-win solution for Valve. Those who want to see a match among the best of the best can support the tournament by buying the Battle Pass. On top of that, they get to access more content from the game instead of the usual stuff.