(Newswire.net — October 22, 2020) — Valve Corporation has been opportunistically blamed for some of the competitive failures of its game in 2020. Yet, the company has rallied magnificently and mustered up the finances to provide the community with the opportunity to participate in more events, even if conducting the Dota Pro Circuit in person has proven a challenge, and The International had to be postponed this year. Esports betting on Dota 2 has also grown, with Dotabetz registering some good spike in traffic and interest from the community.
Meanwhile, Valve has been upbeat about the game’s prospects. Earlier this month, Valve confirmed it would host a $75,000 Dota 2 event in South America, a rather modest prize pool than other professional circuits, but an important step in establishing the company’s presence in the region.
South America has been for the longest time not on the radar of Dota 2 events. With an active gaming population counting in the hundreds of millions, that has been a bit of an oversight, but no more, as Valve’s new policy suggests.
Bringing Competitive Dota to South America
Involving more resources in South America is a great idea. Dota 2 has a broad reach, but some regions have remained out of focus, with most of the top talent in the game coming from Europe, China, North America, and Southeast Asia.
However, the long under-valued potential of Latin America is finally set to play a central piece. Valve won’t invest too much at first but rather adopt a grassroots approach towards the community, looking to whip up interest and partner with local organizations interested in hosting and exploring new competitive formats.
With most formats somewhat limited of late, it makes sense to invest in the local ecosystem since traveling to Dota Pro Circuit events may not be feasible until the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022, depending on travel restrictions.
A Big Boom on Tournament Betting
Not all has been bad news, however. Interest in esports has soared, and Dota 2 broadcasts have been pulling hundreds of fans in live shows. Sportsbooks have posted some serious results, with websites such as noticing a sizable increase in traffic.
The community has rallied around the idea that despite the lockdown, the Dota 2 show must go on, and it has. Valve has not done it all single handedly, though, seeking support from local tournament hosts who have been very happy to oblige.
WePlay! is just one of the organizations to take hosting Dota 2 events seriously. Many fans and sponsors have lined up for an opportunity to push the competitive scene to the next level. That applies not only to South America, though.
Valve has launched an appeal earlier in 2020 for more companies to step up and start establishing the necessary infrastructure to develop competitive Dota 2. Many have responded to that call for action.
Even more are now clamoring for an opportunity to take their favorite game onto the next level, a goal that definitely won’t be too easy to achieve but might just work.