Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Dota 2's 'The International' Prize Pool Grows To More Than $10 Million
There's a lot at stake at this year's The International tournament. Dota 2 players will be competing for their share of a purse that's sitting at more than $10 million.
To put that in perspective, that amount dwarfs last year's prize pool, which was about $2.9 million. It even beats out the 2014 Masters Golf Tournament, which had a pot of $8 million.
The pool has grown to this size thanks to sales from the International Compendium. People who purchase the virtual booklet can earn a variety of in-game Dota 2 bonuses, and they can also participate in The International by voting on who will play in tournaments, predicting winners, and more. The Compendium went on sale in May for $9.99, with $2.50 of each sale going to the prize pool.
The International 2014 takes place July 18-21 in Seattle's KeyArena. For more information on the tournament, go here.
[Source: Valve]
Our Take
Valve's created quite the ecosystem with The International. Players who don't watch the tournament but want the in-game goodies contribute to the pot, which in turn shines a brighter spotlight on the game and eSports in general. Older players can scoff all they like, but the rising popularity of tournaments like this and the growing phenomenon of streamers, YouTube celebrities, and Let's Play-style videos shows that there's an audience for games as a passive medium, too.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
