Just one blockbuster DotA 2 tournament was clearly not enough for Valve – the company has announced the Dota Major Championships, a series of third-party hosted events that includes the already hugely successful grand tournament, The International.
“These marquee tournament events will see top teams competing at premier venues around the world,” the company reveals. “There will be limited trade periods during the year for participating teams. As the Fall event approaches, more tournament details will be announced.”
According to an accompanying blog post there will be a tournament for each season starting this Fall, and culminating in The International. The three other tournaments will be sponsored by Valve, but hosted by third parties at various locations around the world. Valve says the changes to the tournament structure will allow for more “competitive stability” for the players, and engage fans more in the ongoing story of the season.
Considering that the winners of last year’s Dota 2 championship tournament took home $5,028,308 in prize money from just a single competition, I’d say it’s fair to assume that there will be even more money flying around from now on. Tragically, it’s probably to late for me to plan a career change.
