Valve announced the cancellation of Dota 2 Winter Major 2022 amidst rising pandemic woes. But, a separate announcement reveals a possibility of a major.
Covid19 has been evolving since the day it plagued humanity in 2020. A series of lockdowns and strict norms later, the pandemic distress continues.
So does the misery of a lot of Dota 2 teams and pros. Seemingly, a lot of pro gamers and teams have expressed displeasure at Valve’s decision.
Also read: Dota 2 winter Major cancellation reactions: What do the pros think and what are their suggestions?
Sceptical analysis tells the decision is made of out responsible choices, But, there are multiple factors at play here. Most important being the financial troubles of smaller teams.
Valve cancelled the Dota 2 Winter Major 2022 amidst pandemic tensions.
Valve openly think that pro players/pro teams/orgs don’t add any value to their product
That the reason people watch pro Dota is only because of their game & nothing else
Their actions reflects this way of thinking entirely.
They don’t give a fuck about their alleged ‘partners’— Maurice Gutmann (@KheZu) January 12, 2022
Currently, certain teams like the Quincy Crew and BOOM Esports have no organisation to play under. Both teams have stayed unbeaten in DPC Winter qualifiers. Yet, no team to represent for now.
Except, SEA and NA have lost appetite for Dota 2. Only one TI to date for NA and none for SEA in 11 years. That is troubling.
Also read: A certain North Korean defector brings stories of Dota 2 popularity in North Korea.
Combining that with Pandemic sanctions, both regions have only known misery in the last 2 years. Also, teams are bleeding serious amounts of money to keep up with the competition. Though, smaller teams make do with minor budgets.
As it stands, no team is going to make any money. At least, not after the BootCamp expenses. Bigger the team, the bigger the expense. Also, wages are in question at the moment.
So is a Dota 2 Winter Major happening, or just a fluke like the last announcement?
Also read: What does Qojqva think of casters flaming Dota 2 pro players?
If all the teams decide to just not compete in season 2 at least we will have some sort of stable system, either better communication or maybe dota just dies completely. Either way better than the current state of things.
— Sumail (@SumaaaaiL) January 12, 2022
Retired players, Team coaches and even game analysts have shown displeasure at Valve’s rash decision. But, an apology does not fix the problem. Why?
Valve Corporation has always failed to keep pro players and the community in the loop. At the moment, the livelihoods of a lot of people are in question. Gamers included.
Quincy Crew Ponlo mentions that he will only be making a total of $2000 approx. at the end of the tour. Furthermore, majors provide exposure for smaller teams.
Also read: Quincy Crew roster still has no organisation signing them for DPC.
What about the prize money and rewards from Fantasy through BP?
Valve has provided an additional update to the teams/players in regards to the @DOTA2 Winter Major. pic.twitter.com/aXUIrLuORf
— Matthew Bailey (@Cyborgmatt) January 13, 2022
Dota 2 pro players had to wait for over 1 year and 4 months for TI10 while it kept rescheduling. On the other hand, Riot Games hosted a number of major events, including Masters Berlin, Champions 2021 and A Worlds both in 2021 and 2020.
Laziness and laidback decision making is a nature that is associated with Valve. More often than not, they make rash decisions to cover up for the wrong ones. But, with current announcements, a change might be coming. Yet, there is no surety of it.
Also, there is no final decision on Major yet. This means the previous announcement from Valve is null and void. So, what is Valve really up to?
