If you have followed competitive Dota 2 in any form since the game was released, there is a very high likelihood that you have watched at least one tournament hosted by Beyond the Summit.
Whether it be its various iterations of The Summit event series, the BTS Pro Series, or even hosting official events within the Dota Pro Circuit, BTS has been a staple of the community for over a decade. And now that is all coming crashing down since it appears Valve will not be working with the production company for the 2023 DPC season.
This was confirmed by BTS co-founder David “LD” Gorman on Twitter, where he initially teased that the company’s Dota production pipeline is going out “not with a bang but a whimper.”
“Personally a terrible and sad day for me, and I know for much of the team here at BTS,” LD said. “We won’t be producing a DPC league next year, and honestly, it’s unclear if we’ll be doing any Dota content at all moving forward. Such an amazing game and community that has given me everything.”
And it isn’t just the game that gave BTS “everything,” but it is also safe to say that without the productions put on by LD, David “GoDz” Parker, and the BTS team, the current competitive landscape of Dota would look completely different.
Whether it be giving smaller teams a chance to thrive on a big stage, bringing in growing talent for commentator and analyst positions, or simply putting a spotlight on the community even when it felt like Valve wouldn’t, BTS was a pillar of competitive Dota. And seeing that pillar potentially shattered like this is yet another hit to the scene in a period of weakness.
According to LD, he and the team are completely fine with not being given the gig in a professional sense because productions like that aren’t something anyone is entitled to. But in typical Valve fashion, it appears there was little to no communication or transparency during the decision-making process.
“To be clear we aren’t entitled to shit, production gigs are earned not given, and it’s completely fine that we weren’t the choice, there are plenty of other great options,” LD said. “What hurts is the (lack of) communication and acknowledgment, and the way the news was delivered after 10 years.”
The full list of what companies will be producing the next DPC season’s regional league broadcasts has yet to be shared, but it sounds like this is just the start of a series of announcements that Dota fans won’t like.
Commentator Shannon “SUNSfan” Scotten has said multiple times that Valve is going to make an announcement about a third party that will deeply upset fans. And after the BTS news, he even confirmed that this isn’t what he was referring to at the time.
It isn’t like fans or players were happy with Valve before this. The 2022 battle pass has been underperforming and met with backlash while some top players like Team Secret’s Clement “Puppey” Ivanov are openly criticizing the organization when it comes to how the DPC is being handled.
Related: ‘It’s a bugged system’: Puppey bashes Dota Pro Circuit scheduling and format
Regardless of what Valve will do to make fans mad next, BTS won’t be going anywhere—except for out of the Dota scene.
BTS as a company has expanded its reach well beyond Dota since first entering the esports space and hosts big events for Super Smash Bros., Rocket League, CS:GO, and more. It even helps produce content for bigger YouTube and streamer events hosted by creators like Ludwig, so don’t expect to see the name fade away. But many fans will be sad to see a company and team that has given so much to the Dota community essentially tossed to the side without a moment’s notice.
“Can’t believe it’s been 10 years. Been the experience of a lifetime and would never change a single thing,” LD said. “But it is beyond disappointing to see all the sacrifice, love, and support of so many people who gave their all cast aside like it never even mattered.”
