Dota 2’s eSports scene is picking up pace. Nexon have announced that they will contribute a whopping $1.7m to Korean amateur and pro leagues in 2013 alone. Meanwhile Game Evolution have revealed a new tournament to be held in Dubai’s World Trade Centre for $40,000 in November. All the while Valves very own tournament, The International, is slowly increasing in funds thanks to the Interactive Compendium. At the time of writing, there’s $2,333,000 up for grabs.
Alongside the announcement of the prize money, Nexon have revealed a little bit about how Dota 2 will function in Korea. The service will be able to handle global connections; allowing international competition. The Korean client will integrate with Steam, and any current players will keep their items and stats when it’s transferred to Nexon. The full release is scheduled for sometime in late 2013.
Meanwhile, in Dubai…
Game Evolution have secured the Dubai World Trade Centre as a venue, and are offering $40,000 in prize money. The tournament will be open to anyone, touting that each match will be played in front of a “huge live audience and millions watching online”. Twenty teams from all over the world will duke it out on November 15th.
The International’s prize fund continues to rise. From a base of $1.6m, it’s raised a further $725,000 thanks to the sales of Interactive Compendiums. Stretch goals could take the prize fund to a total of $3.2m. We’re currently $66,000 away from goal five: allowing “Compendium owners to vote on participants in an 8 player Solo Championship (1 vs 1) at The International”.