Valve cancel Battle Pass — it seems that the prize pool of The International will never be the same again

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On June 20, Valve announced that it will no longer release an annual Battle Pass for The International, the biggest Dota 2 tournament of the year. The developers decided to abandon this feature in order to free up resources to work on the game throughout the entire season, rather than just before TI. This decision has been heavily discussed in the community, as the cancellation of the Battle Pass will undoubtedly affect The International's prize pool.

Valve first introduced the Battle Pass to support the viewers' interest at The International 2013. Since then, Battle Pass owners have gained access to exclusive game modes and cosmetic items every year. At the same time, the Battle Pass purchases contributed to the championship's prize pool: currently, The International holds the record for the largest prize pool in esports history, with just over $40 million being played for at the 2021 tournament in Romania.

Top 5 The International Dota 2 tournaments by prize pool

According to Valve, almost all the developers' efforts and ideas for the past ten years have been focused on creating content for the Battle Pass. However, not all Dota 2 players purchased it, meaning that the majority of users couldn't access the new content. When the company looked at this issue more closely, it decided to shift the focus away from a single tournament and distribute its attention more evenly on regular and free updates. The first of these updates was the global patch 7.33 titled "New Frontiers", which significantly revamped the game map, updated heroes and artifacts, added new mechanics, and more. According to the developers, the main advantage of this approach is that all players can enjoy the new features, not just Battle Pass owners.

''Most Dota players never buy a Battle Pass and never get any rewards from it. Every Dota player has gotten to explore the new map, play with the new items, and accidentally die to a Tormentor; every Dota player benefits from UI improvements and new client features. Community response to New Frontiers has helped us build confidence that working less on cosmetic content for the Battle Pass and more on a variety of exciting updates is the right long-term path for Dota as both a game and a community.”

Valve's blog post

Valve has also noted that a small update dedicated to the tournament will still be released before The International 2023. In other words, players will still be able to contribute to the championship's prize pool, but it will not be the same type of Battle Pass that users have become accustomed to in recent years.

The large prize pool of The International tournaments has long been a topic of debate. Some analysts believed that it was an excellent marketing tool and a good incentive for players. On the other hand, others complained that the sole focus on the super tournament undervalued the entire professional scene. Many examples show that players skip almost half a season and only start getting ready for The International later on. Sponsors and tournament organizers were not pleased with this, nor were the viewers.

Also read: 5 esports tournaments with highest expected prize pools in 2023

Valve's decision to cancel the Battle Pass has sparked a new wave of discussion in the Dota 2 esports scene. Almost all players believe that the prize pool for the upcoming The International will decrease several times and never be the same as in recent years. However, many community members have said they will only be happy if Valve can effectively distribute finances and work on the game throughout the season. The current Dota Pro Circuit model has received a lot of criticism, but players accepted it because of the chance to qualify for The International and earn a huge sum of money. Without this financial incentive, Valve might be forced to work on a new DPC format: developing the tier-2 scene, encouraging independent tournaments, and more. For now, most players hope that the company will move in this direction.

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Discussions about the Battle Pass and The International prize pool often boil down to comparing Dota 2 with CS:GO, another popular Valve esports title. The two games from the same developer show completely different dynamics. While Dota 2 has experienced a steady exodus of players for several years, the CS:GO continues to set records in the number of active users. Counter-Strike doesn't have The International and huge prize pools at tournaments, but the discipline itself is developing much more actively than Dota 2. Perhaps this was a reason for developers to consider changing the financial model in the professional scene. In any case, as many players and analysts note, such decisions are always made with a view to the future, and the real effect of canceling the Battle Pass can only be assessed after several years.

Also read: Highest Earning Esports Players by Prize Money

We should remind you that thanks to the Battle Pass and large prize pools of The International, Dota 2 players occupy the entire top-ranking list of the richest esports players. The number of millionaires among them has been in the dozens for a long time. More information about the largest tournaments in other disciplines can be found in the new Esports Charts 'Earnings' section.

Valve has previously announced details of The International 2023. The tournament will take place from October 14 to 29 at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Five teams have currently qualified for the tournament through the DPC ranking: Team Liquid, Gaimin Gladiators, Evil Geniuses, Shopify Rebellion, and Tundra Esports. The other 13 participants will be determined through the Bali Major 2023 and regional qualifiers.