Dota 2 fans are demanding Valve either bring back a cosmetic-filled battle pass for The International or allow them to donate directly to the prize pool to support the pro scene despite such an offer being made available during last year’s version of the pinnacle tournament.
Discussion over TI’s lackluster prize pool last year was sparked again in a March 9 post on the Dota 2 subreddit, where one player wanted to “contribute meaningfully” to the pro scene without Valve taking a massive cut. 75 percent of the 2023 Compendium was kept by Valve as is tradition, but the post’s author—and many others—didn’t feel the product they received was worth it. “This year, I hope Valve takes a different direction.”
Their suggestion: Allow fans to directly donate to the prize pool and help cover the costs of the tournament itself, but if last year’s edition of the Compendium wasn’t evidence enough, it’s clear only one addition will see prize pools of old—cosmetics. “[Battle passes] and old Compendiums only worked due to hats; your average player doesn’t care about the pro scene,” one fan said.
Another brought up the Nemistice and Aghanim’s Labyrinth battle pass sales, which did not contribute to any TI prize pool, far eclipsed 2023’s Compendium which was re-designed to focus on celebrating The International and included limited in-game cosmetic items. According to STRATZ, just over 500,000 users purchased the TI 2023 Compendium—less than half of the Agh’s Labyrinth or the Nemistice battle passes. The difference? Those battle passes came chock full of Immortal items, treasures, and Arcana skins.
Many were blunt in where they stood on the topic: The only reason they took any interest in the pro scene was for the cosmetics on offer during the TI season. “I, like most players, just want hats. I didn’t buy the last [Compendium] and wouldn’t even if 100 percent had gone to TI because it was a rip-off for the rewards I would get.”
Besides, many believe the return of the third-party-run “open” circuit with events like Riyadh Masters more than filling the void left by the drop in the prize pool at TI. Over $5 million has been guaranteed from the EPT circuit and BetBoom Dacha alone, and that’s yet to include the Saudi Arabian event (which clocked in at $15 million last year) or the newly announced PGL series.
We’ll have to see whether Valve changes up its approach to crowdfunding for TI again ahead of the Danish event in September.
