The International
SportDota 2
Founded2011 (2011)
AdministratorValve
No. of teams
  • 16 teams (2011–2016)
  • 18 teams (2017–2021)
  • 20 teams (2022–present)
Most recent
champion(s)		Team Spirit, 2023
Most titlesOG and Team Spirit (2)
Tournament format
Official websitedota2.com/esports

The International (TI) is an annual esports world championship for the five-on-five video game Dota 2. Produced by the game's developer Valve, the International is the final event of the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) and consists of 20 teams: 12 based on final results from the DPC; six from North America, South America, Southeast Asia, China, Eastern Europe, and Western Europe regional leagues; and two from last-chance qualifiers. The International was first held at Gamescom in 2011 to promote the game's release. It was then held annually in Seattle, where Valve is headquartered, until it began to be hosted internationally again starting with The International 2018.

The tournament's prize pool has been crowdfunded via a battle pass system within the game since 2013, with a quarter of all revenue from it directly going towards it. Internationals have the largest single-tournament prize pool of any esport event, with largest reaching US$40 million. The most recent champion is Team Spirit, who won the 2023 iteration. OG and Team Spirit are the only repeat winners in the tournament's history.

History

Early years

The first International was held at Gamescom in 2011

Valve announced the first edition of The International on August 1, 2011. 16 teams were invited to compete in the tournament, which would also serve as the first public viewing of Dota 2.[1] The tournament was funded by Valve, including the US$1 million grand prize, with Nvidia supplying the hardware.[2][3] It took place at Gamescom in Cologne from August 17–21 the same year.[4] The tournament started with a group stage in which the winners of each of the four groups were entered into a winner's bracket, and the other teams entered the loser's bracket. The rest of the tournament was then played as a double-elimination tournament.[5] The final of this inaugural tournament was between Ukrainian-based Natus Vincere and Chinese-based EHOME, with Natus Vincere winning the series 3–1.[6] EHOME won US$250,000, with the rest of the 14 teams splitting the remaining $350,000.[7]

The International as an recurring annual event was confirmed in May 2012.[8][9] The International 2012 was held at the 2,500 seat Benaroya Hall in Seattle from August 31 to September 2, with teams situated in glass booths on the main stage.[10] The total prize pool remained at $1.6 million, with $1 million for the winning team.[11][12] The previous winners, Natus Vincere, were beaten 3-1 by Chinese team Invictus Gaming in the grand finals.[13] In November 2012, Valve released a free documentary on the event that featured interviews with the teams, and following them from the preliminary stages through to the finale.[14]

Introduction of crowdfunding

The International 2014 at the KeyArena in Seattle

The International 2013 was hosted again at the Benaroya Hall in Seattle from August 7–11. Sixteen teams participated, thirteen of which received direct invitations, and the final three being decided in two qualifying tournaments and a match at the start of the tournament.[15] In May 2013, it was announced that an in-game battle pass, known as the Compendium, would be available for purchase that allowed for the tournament's prize pool to be crowdfunded. A quarter of the total revenue from the Compendium was added to the base $1.6 million prize pool.[16] The prize pool eventually reached over $2.8 million, making it the largest prize pool in esports history at the time.[17] KCPQ news anchor Kaci Aitchison acted as a host at the event, providing behind-the-scenes commentary and player interviews.[18] The International 2013 was viewed by over a million concurrent viewers at its peak, via live streaming websites such as Twitch.[19]

The International 2014 took place from July 18–21 at the KeyArena in Seattle.[20] For the event, eleven teams would receive direct invites, with an additional four spots determined by regional qualifiers taking place between May 12–25. The sixteenth spot would be determined by a wild card qualifier between the runners-up from the regional competitions.[21] The tickets for the event were sold out within an hour of going on sale that April.[22] The tournament's crowdfunded prize pool again broke esport records for being the largest in history, with it totalling over $10.9 million.[23] As a result, eight Dota 2 players became the highest earning players in esports, surpassing the top earning player at the time, Lee "Jaedong" Jae-dong of StarCraft.[24] The event was also broadcast on ESPN networks for the first time.[25]

Expansion

The tournament was expanded to 18 teams for The International 2017 onwards, an increase from the previous 16.[26] The event in 2017 was also the last time it was held in Seattle, with every International since being hosted in a new country. The International 2020 was the first International to skip a year, as it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[27][28] Ahead of the event, originally scheduled to be held in Stockholm, Sweden, the Swedish Sports Federation voted to deny recognition of esports as a sporting event, making it difficult for Valve to help international players to secure travel visas for participating there.[29] Valve later rescheduled the event and rebranded it as The International 2021, which was held at the Arena Națională in Bucharest, Romania, in October 2021.[30] It set a record for the largest prize pool of any single esports event at $40 million.[31]

The International 2022 increased to 20 teams and was held in Singapore in October 2022, where it was won by Tundra Esports.[32] It was the first International to not surpass the previous one's prize pool at $18.9 million, the lowest since The International 2015.[33] The International 2023 was hosted at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, which was built at the same site as KeyArena, and ran from October 27 to 29.[34][35]

List of Internationals

List of Internationals
Year Teams Champion Prize pool Date Venue
2011 16 Ukraine Natus Vincere[36] $1,600,000 August 17–21 Koelnmesse (Cologne)[4]
2012 China Invictus Gaming[37] $1,600,000 August 31 – September 2 Benaroya Hall (Seattle)[38]
2013 Sweden Alliance[39] $2,874,380 August 7–11
2014 China Newbee[40] $10,923,977July 18–21KeyArena (Seattle)[41]
2015 United States Evil Geniuses[42] $18,429,613 August 3–6
2016 China Wings Gaming[43] $20,770,460 August 3–13
2017 18 Europe Team Liquid[44] $24,787,916 August 7–12
2018 Europe OG[45] $25,532,177 August 20–25 Rogers Arena (Vancouver)[46]
2019 Europe OG[47] $34,330,068 August 20–25 Mercedes-Benz Arena (Shanghai)[48]
2020 August 18–23[lower-alpha 1] Avicii Arena (Stockholm)
2021 18 Russia Team Spirit[49] $40,018,195 October 7–17 Arena Națională (Bucharest)[50]
2022 20 Europe Tundra Esports[32] $18,930,775 October 15–30
2023 Russia Team Spirit[52] $3,143,063 October 14–29 Climate Pledge Arena (Seattle)

Format

Invitations

The International features a series of tournaments before the event, known as the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC), with the top 12 ranking teams receiving direct invitations based on their final standings.[53][54][55] Besides the directly invited DPC teams, an additional team from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), China, Europe, North America, South America, and Southeast Asia regions each earn an invite by winning regional playoffs, bringing the total number of participating teams up to 18.[56][57] At the International, two separate best-of-two round robin groups consisting of nine teams each are played, with lowest placed team from both at the end of the stage being eliminated.[58][59][26] The remaining 16 teams then move on to the double elimination main event at the hosted venue, with the top four finishing teams from both groups advancing to the upper bracket, and the bottom four advancing to the lower bracket.[59][58] The first round of the lower bracket is treated as single-elimination, with the loser of each match being immediately eliminated from the tournament.[58][26] Every other round of both brackets is played in a best-of-three series, with the exception being the Grand Finals, which is played between the winners of the upper and lower brackets in a best-of-five series.[58]

Prize pool

Since The International 2013, the tournament's prize pool is primarily crowdfunded through a type of in-game battle pass called the "Compendium", which raises money from players buying them to get exclusive in-game virtual goods and other bonuses.[60][61] 25% of all the revenue made from yearly Compendiums go directly to the prize pool.[62][63] The contribution of players from the game community is the main source of prize pool for the International.[64] Until 2022, each iteration of The International has surpassed the previous one's prize pool. The International 2021 had the largest prize pool, awarding $40 million (£29 million) in total to participating teams.[65][66]

Trophy

The Aegis of Champions trophy

The Aegis of Champions is a trophy that is awarded to the champions of an International. The reverse side of it is permanently engraved with the names of each player on the winning team.[67][65] The Aegis is a shield inspired by Norse and Chinese designs, with it molded in bronze and silver by the prop studio, Weta Workshop.[67] Miniature replicas of it are also sometimes awarded to compendium owners for having a high enough level in it.[68]

Media coverage

As with traditional sporting events, The International feature pre- and post-game discussion by a panel of analysts (left), with in-match casting being done by play-by-play and color commentators (right).

The primary medium for International coverage is through the video game live streaming platform Twitch, which is done by a selection of dedicated esports organizations and personnel who provide on-site commentary, analysis, match predictions, and player interviews surrounding the event in progress, similar to traditional sporting events.[19][69] Multiple streams are provided in a variety of languages, mainly in English, Russian, and Chinese. The International also sometimes provides a "newcomer stream" that is dedicated to presenting games for viewers unfamiliar with the game.[70]

Documentaries

In 2014, Valve released a free documentary, Free to Play, which followed three players during their time at the first International in 2011.[71][72] In 2016, Valve began producing an episodic-based documentary series titled True Sight, considered a spiritual successor to Free to Play.[73] Several more episodes of it have been filmed, showcasing the 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021 tournaments.[74][75][76][77]

References

  1. 1 2 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  1. ↑ Reilly, Jim (August 1, 2011). "Valve Goes Big with Dota 2 Tournament". IGN. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012.
  2. ↑ Sullivan, Lucas (August 1, 2011). "Valve to hold $1,000,000 Dota 2 tournament at Gamescom". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
  3. ↑ Senior, Tom (August 10, 2011). "Dota 2 Gamescom tournament to be streamed live on Dota2.com". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on November 23, 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Miozzi, CJ (August 1, 2011). "Valve Announces DOTA 2 Gamescom Tournament". Game Front. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
  5. ↑ Senior, Tom (August 17, 2011). "Dota 2: the tournament so far..." PC Gamer. Archived from the original on March 27, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
  6. ↑ Schiller, Jen (August 23, 2011). "First Ever Dota 2 Championship Winner Revealed". Kotaku. Archived from the original on July 17, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
  7. ↑ O'Connor, Alice (August 22, 2011). "Dota 2 tournament $1 million finals won by Na'vi". Shack News. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
  8. ↑ Hafer, T.J. (May 11, 2012). "The International Dota 2 Championships 2012 to be held at PAX Prime this August". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on June 29, 2014. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  9. ↑ Feak, Steve; Mescon, Steve (March 19, 2009). "Postmortem: Defense of the Ancients". Gamasutra. pp. 1–5. Archived from the original on December 7, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  10. ↑ Schreier, Jason (September 4, 2012). "Dota Dispatch: Watching People Play Video Games For $1.6 Million". Kotaku. Archived from the original on December 31, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  11. ↑ Senior, Tom (June 11, 2012). "Dota 2 International 2012 tickets go on sale tomorrow". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  12. ↑ Nunneley, Stephany (August 31, 2012). "The International Dota 2 Championships 2012 begins at PAX Prime". VG247. Archived from the original on January 11, 2015. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  13. ↑ Sarkar, Samit (September 4, 2012). "Dota 2 International tournament 2012 winners round-up". Polygon. Archived from the original on March 4, 2014. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  14. ↑ Lahti, Evan (November 16, 2012). "Dota 2 - The International 2 documentary video released by Valve". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  15. ↑ Dota Team (April 26, 2013). "The International". Valve. Archived from the original on April 28, 2013.
  16. ↑ Malloroy, Jordan (May 7, 2013). "Dota 2 introduces 'Interactive Compendium' tournament companion". Joystiq. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
  17. ↑ Martin (May 16, 2013). "Dota 2's The International 3 reaches $2m prize pool". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 8, 2013.
  18. ↑ O' Connor, Alice (August 9, 2013). "Watch Dota 2's The International tournament this weekend". Shack News. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  19. 1 2 Makuch, Eddie (August 13, 2013). "The International hits 1 million concurrent viewers". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 4, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  20. ↑ Williams, Katie (March 31, 2014). "Valve Announces Dates, Location, and Ticket Prices for The International 2014". IGN. Archived from the original on April 4, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  21. ↑ Gaston, Martin (April 1, 2014). "The International 2014 sells out in an hour". GameSpot. Archived from the original on April 4, 2014.
  22. ↑ Breslau, Rod (April 5, 2014). "Valve announces dates for Dota 2 tournament The International 2014". onGamers. Archived from the original on April 6, 2014. Retrieved April 6, 2014.
  23. ↑ Vas, Gergo (June 26, 2014). "Dota 2 Tournament Prize Pool Exceeds $10 Million". Kotaku. Archived from the original on June 29, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Dota 2 takes the Top 8 Spots in Gaming Earnings". Neutral Creeps - Dota 2 News From Around The World. July 24, 2014. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014.
  25. ↑ July 18, 2014, Valve Press Release, International Dota 2 Championships on ESPN Networks Archived July 19, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Steam
  26. 1 2 3 Rose, Victoria (July 25, 2017). "The International 7 format and prize pool, explained". The Flying Courier. Polygon. Archived from the original on August 3, 2017. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
  27. ↑ Webster, Andrew; Statt, Nick (April 30, 2020). "Valve indefinitely delays Dota 2's The International 2020". The Verge. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  28. ↑ Webster, Andrew (April 30, 2020). "Valve indefinitely delays Dota 2's The International 2020". The Verge. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  29. ↑ Peters, Jay (June 22, 2021). "Dota 2's The International might not take place in Sweden after all". The Verge. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  30. ↑ Bailey, Dustin (July 7, 2021). "Dota 2's The International gets new dates after Sweden says no to esports". PCGamesN. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  31. ↑ Shaw, Luke (July 8, 2021). "'Dota 2' tournament to be held in Bucharest with £29million prize pool". NME. Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  32. 1 2 Lozano, Kurt (October 30, 2022). "Tundra Esports sweep Team Secret 3-0 to become champions of The International 11". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  33. ↑ Michael, Cale (November 4, 2022). "The International 2022 prize pool didn't even hit $19 million, snaps historical 10-year streak". Dot Esports.
  34. ↑ Bolding, Jonathan (May 7, 2023). "Dota 2's world championship returns to Seattle this year". PCGamer. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  35. ↑ Chen, Hongyu (November 4, 2022). "Sources: The International back to Seattle in '23". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  36. ↑ S. Good, Owen (August 26, 2018). "The International goes to China for 2019 championships". Polygon. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  37. ↑ Cybercube (September 5, 2018). "The end of Na Vi reign: Invictus Gaming champions team then and now". Medium.com. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  38. ↑ Hafer, T.J. (May 11, 2012). "The International Dota 2 Championships 2012 to be held at PAX Prime this August". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on June 29, 2014. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  39. ↑ Pitcher, Jenna (August 14, 2013). "The International attracts more than 1 million viewers". Polygon. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  40. ↑ Gies, Arthur (July 21, 2014). "Dota 2 team Newbee just won The International 4 — along with the largest eSports prize pool in history". Polygon. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  41. ↑ Williams, Katie (March 31, 2014). "Valve Announces Dates, Location, and Ticket Prices for The International 2014". IGN. Archived from the original on April 4, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  42. ↑ Dator, James (August 9, 2015). "Evil Geniuses win The International Dota 2 Championship 2015". SB Nation. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  43. ↑ Walker, Dylan (August 13, 2016). "Wings Gaming wins the Dota 2 International 2016, nearly $10 million in prize money". Yahoo! esports. Yahoo!. Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  44. ↑ Rose, Victoria (August 12, 2017). "How Team Liquid swept The International 2017 Grand Finals for the $10.8M prize". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  45. ↑ Gach, Ethan (August 27, 2018). "Tournament Underdogs Won This Year's Dota 2 International". Kotaku. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  46. ↑ Rose, Victoria (March 15, 2018). "The International 8 to take place August 20–25 in Vancouver". The Flying Courier. Polygon. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  47. ↑ Michael, Cale (August 25, 2019). "OG make history by beating Team Liquid and winning The International 2019". Shack News.
  48. ↑ Mejia, Ozzie (August 25, 2018). "The Dota 2 International 9 will take place in Shanghai, China". ShackNews. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  49. ↑ Michael, Cale (October 17, 2021). "Team Spirit shock the world, beat PSG.LGD to win The International 10". Dot Esports.
  50. ↑ Goslin, Austen (July 7, 2021). "Dota 2's The International 10 tournament has been moved to a new country". Polygon. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  51. ↑ Michael, Cale (June 2022). "The International 2022 dates revealed, next Dota 2 update drops June 8". Dot Esports. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  52. ↑ Stubbs, Mike. "Team Spirit Wins The International 12 To Become Two Time Champions". Forbes. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  53. ↑ Savov, Vlad (July 4, 2017). "Valve is rebooting its Dota 2 tournaments for a more democratic and 'organic' approach". The Verge. Archived from the original on August 5, 2017. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  54. ↑ Gach, Ethan (July 3, 2017). "Valve Announces Big Changes To Dota 2's Tournament Structure Going Forward". Kotaku. Archived from the original on July 10, 2017. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  55. ↑ Rose, Victoria (February 14, 2018). "Here are the top eight Dota Pro Circuit point winners so far". The Flying Courier. Archived from the original on April 23, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  56. ↑ Van Allen, Eric (June 25, 2016). "The International 6 qualifiers primer". ESPN. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  57. ↑ Rose, Victoria (July 14, 2017). "The teams of the International 2017, part one". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on July 15, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  58. 1 2 3 4 "The International Approaches". blog.dota2.com. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  59. 1 2 "Dota 2 - The International 2017". dota2.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  60. ↑ "Introducing the Interactive Compendium". Dota 2. Archived from the original on August 11, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  61. ↑ Van Allen, Eric (July 13, 2017). "How Exactly Does Dota 2 Come Up With Over $20 Million In Prizes For Its Biggest Event?". Kotaku. Archived from the original on July 14, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  62. ↑ Gaston, Martin (May 16, 2013). "Dota 2's The International 3 reaches $2m prize pool". GameSpot. Archived from the original on November 18, 2013.
  63. ↑ Schulenberg, Thomas (August 4, 2013). "The International 3 begins, Prize pool of over $2.8 million". Joystiq. Archived from the original on August 7, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  64. ↑ "Dota 2 Prize Pool Tracker". Dota 2 Prize Pool Tracker. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  65. 1 2 Kharpal, Arjun; Roy Choudhury, Saheli (October 3, 2018). "Pro video gamers are making millions by age 30 in the booming world of 'esports'". CNBC. Archived from the original on October 4, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  66. ↑ Shaw, Luke (July 8, 2021). "'Dota 2' tournament to be held in Bucharest with £29million prize pool". NME. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  67. 1 2 "Dota 2 - Aegis of Champions". Dota 2. Archived from the original on July 7, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  68. ↑ "The Collector's Aegis of Champions". Dota 2. Archived from the original on July 10, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  69. ↑ Van Allen, Eric (August 5, 2016). "TobiWan: The voice of Dota 2". ESPN. Archived from the original on August 6, 2016. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
  70. ↑ Rose, Victoria (September 8, 2017). "Torte de Lini on the Newcomer Stream: 'You have to feel like you're part of the community'". The Flying Courier. Polygon. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  71. ↑ Devore, Jordan (March 19, 2014). "Dota 2 documentary Free to Play: The Movie released". Destructoid. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  72. ↑ Albert, Brian (March 21, 2014). "Free to Play review". IGN. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  73. ↑ Thursten, Chris (October 13, 2016). "Valve's latest Dota 2 documentary series starts today". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on October 14, 2016. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  74. ↑ Rose, Victoria (September 27, 2017). "True Sight mini-documentary, this time featuring TI7's Grand Finals, is now available to watch". The Flying Courier. Polygon. Archived from the original on October 13, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  75. ↑ foxssportsasia. "Dota 2: Latest 'True Sight' documentary on OG's victory in TI8 is a must-watch". Fox Sports. Archived from the original on February 3, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  76. ↑ "True Sight — The International 2019 | Dota 2". Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  77. ↑ True Sight : The International 2021 Finals, retrieved September 25, 2022
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