Valve has announced that The International, the annual Dota 2 championship, will return after a one-year hiatus due to pandemic. This year’s iteration will take place in Stockholm, with the group stage starting on 5 August.
TI10 will pick up right where the 2021 DPC season concludes, bringing in the top teams from around the world to compete for the Aegis of Champions and the record-setting $40,018,195 prize pool.
“As we continue to plan the event around the shifting landscape presented by the ongoing global pandemic, our focus remains on finding ways to hold a high quality tournament in the safest way possible. This means we’re waiting to release additional details on attendance options as we gather more information on developments heading into summer,” Valve said as per dotesports.
For now, Valve has confirmed that the group stage will be held from 5 August to 8 August, with the main event running from 10 August to 15 August.
Valve introduced Supporters Club so fans can purchase bundles and show their devotion to their favourite teams. Each team has three bundles (Bronze, Silver, and Gold) with items created by them. Half of the bundle sales go to the team that created them. For now, there are 17 teams’ bundles, but more should come soon. The bundles will be available until The International 10 begins.
“Content in Supporters Clubs is provided by the teams themselves, and 50 per cent of all sales goes to the teams you choose. This content will last until The International commences. In future seasons, it will last through each respective Major. Each team has three bundles to choose from, with an increasing amount of content inside. The Bronze Club includes a badge for your favourite team, the Silver Club includes sprays and emoticons, and the Gold Club includes a special in-game HP-bar badge, loading screens, and voice lines. Badges will appear in multiple places throughout the game, including your friends list, player profiles, the Versus Screen, and the in-game scoreboard,” the official blog post reads.
Because of the current pandemic the world is facing, Valve is still working out the details of The International 10 as the situation evolves. Whether the tournament will be public or if it will be a digital-only event, only time will tell.