The International, Valve’s annual worldwide Dota 2 championship tournament, held in Seattle (USA), has surpassed a prize pool totalling more than $4 million.
Last year, The International’s prize pool reached a maximum of $2.8 million. This year’s edition of the ultimate Dota 2 showdown is scheduled to be held from July 18 – 21 at KeyArena in Seattle. There is still a good 2 months left before the tournament begins, it is quite amazing how Valve have raised this much money in such a short time. Whats even more amazing is how much will it eventually end up raising till the time the tournament begins. $10 million, what say? This owes to the immense popularity Dota 2 has amongst gamers, having broken many records.
How does Valve raise money for The International
The $4 million that Valve raised is by sales of The International’s official in-game (Dota 2) program, called The International Compendium 2014. Players can purchase this for $10, and for every $10, Valve contributes $2.50 to the prize pool.
Compendium owners get the benefit of more sales, and Valve has set benchmarks for the money raised, offering in-game items as unlocks each time a certain benchmark is crossed. For example, reaching the goal of $4 million has unlocked the Mini-Pudge Courier. Hitting the $4.5 million and $5 marks unlock new music and new matchmaking respectively. Hitting the $6 million mark unlocks Base Customization. For more details on the 2014 Compendium, visit Dota 2’s official page.
Last year, The International was won by Swedish team Alliance, who beat the 2011 champions Na’vi in an ecstatic final. Both teams are participating in this year’s championship.
Source: Dota 2 Official Blog
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