Even if you are not a big fan of Dota 2, you still might be familiar with The International. This legendary Dota 2 world championship takes place every year, and it seems that no competitors are going to get ahead of its prize pools, which are also growing from year to year. The company who started Dota 2 (Valve) launched The International in Germany back in 2011. Later, their location changed to the USA (Seattle, Washington). In 2019, the International is going to take place in Shanghai, China, right on the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

 

18 teams from all around the world will compete for $10M with over $116,5M general price pool, which is an ultimate record for Dota 2. You may already know some of the participants (Virtus.pro, Team Secret, Vici Gaming, Evil Geniuses, Fnatic, PSG.LGD, NIP) whereas other 11 teams will be announced after the regional qualification tournaments and DPC. The complete list will be for sure announced by the dota 2 betting sites, which also forecast no unexpected leaders to enter the game this year.

Apart from the prize pool, Valve successfully implements the concept of battle-pass. For the upcoming International, it was released on May 7. By purchasing one, you get access to the exclusive on-game options as well a right to participate in the fantasy league. The money Valve gets from selling battle pass increased the prize pool and thus for 2019, its total sum equals record-breaking $116,5M.

In fact, Dota 2 never had a tight budget for the prize pool, which for sure contributed to its popularity among the professional gamers. Let’s see how the prize pools were growing since the first International tournament:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are many reasons behind the ability to introduce a shockingly high prize pool. Even though Dota is not new to the gaming market, its popularity keeps growing due to multiple features its developers design annually. Battle Pass, mentioned earlier, is one of the tools. Just imagine, within 24 hours, Valve got $6M! However, the most innovative gadget to instantly inspire your fierce loyalty is Dota Pro Circuit application, which was released by subscribers this spring.

Another factor in encouraging Valve to provide more funding to their players is the rising competitiveness on the online gaming market. Dota 2 prize pools keep the top positions, but rumor has it that Fortnite is keeping up with the leader. The $100M prize pool is a shockingly huge amount of money for a game that has been launched less than 2 years ago.

What about the younger competitors? Apex Legends is not known for tournaments at the moment; still, never underestimate a young game that regularly gets million watches on Twitch. Who knows, maybe they are up for something mind-blowing next year?

The end of 2019 summer will be for sure the hottest time of the year. The Asian version of The International will be an amusing experience worth joining online. Take some days off during August 20-25 to witness the epic Dota 2 tournament with the highest prize pool in the esports history. There is a chance that the representatives of your country will be there, so make sure you receive an update about the full set of The International 2019 participants during the next month.