Every 12 months, the perfect Dota 2 wizards from all of the lands collect to find out which ones can greatest defend an historical rock backyard – however most likely not this 12 months, you’ll be shocked to listen to. The tenth iteration of The International has been delayed as a result of pandemic: “likely” to 2021, say Valve.
They’re nonetheless going to begin promoting The International Battle Pass quickly, with 25% of every buy going to the prize pool. That provides them many extra months of funding, which is canny. Expect huge quantity.
Here’s essentially the most pertinent little bit of Valve’s statement:
“We have been exploring various date possibilities, but it is likely that the event will need to happen in 2021. Given the highly volatile landscape for local gathering restrictions, virus trajectory, and global travel policies, we don’t expect to have enough confidence to communicate firm dates in the near future. In the meantime, we are working on restructuring the DPC season for the fall, and will be providing more information as soon as we have it.”
The International usually occurs in August, although Valve hadn’t confirmed the dates for this 12 months.
The DPC is the Dota Pro Circuit, the place groups compete in smaller, regional tournaments to earn a spot at The International. The final one went forward on March fifth, with the three additional tournaments deliberate for March, April and May all cancelled. So, Valve are nonetheless determining how invitations will work now that the standard system is borked.
The Battle Pass is a purchasable companion to The International, and goes a bit past what you’d usually affiliate with battle passes. Last year’s Pass included a brand new mode, together with useful in-game assistants that basically ought to have been accessible for everybody.
Valve plan on releasing the Battle Pass “soon instead of closer to the event itself”, however do point out that “with our team working from home and things taking longer to complete, the release date of the Battle Pass will be at least a couple of weeks later than usual.”
To get the prettiest beauty rewards out of earlier Battle Passes, you needed to play an obscene variety of games or pay additional. That meant the perfect rewards have been solely actually accessible to individuals who have been prepared to chuck 100 kilos or extra on the rattling factor. If this one is as extortionate as final 12 months’s, I’m not satisfied the additional time might be sufficient to entry the top-tier rewards.
Go on Valve, show me fallacious.