Dota 2 has been arguably the king of MOBA. It came from being a simple beloved mod of Warcraft III to becoming one of the biggest in the industry. As the crowned first of its kind, it truly defends its title as an Ancient. However, the topic of whether Dota 2 or its Esports scene is dying became a prevailing trend around the community.
Let’s take a look at some factors as to why “Dota 2 Esports is dying” circulated and whether it is true or not.
Dota 2’s Peak Esports Year
If we take a look at the statistics of Dota 2’s player base, we can deduce that it is still on the stable side. The viewership of each tournament still appears to be doing good as well. So the question then is why some claim that Dota 2 Esports is dying?
By reading various articles, talks within the community, and people’s take on the state of Dota 2 in platforms such as Youtube, we can make a theory. It all began with the biggest Esport tournament of the game, the Internationals or TI. This prestigious tournament was once hailed to have the grandest prize pool among any Esports tournament. It peaked during the Internationals 2021 which boasted a massive 40 million USD prize pool. Up till now, that still reigns as the highest prize money in all of Esports history.
Community Expectations
Since Dota 2 Esports have had its golden years where records have been broken in terms of prize pools and popularity, a massive expectation arises. It is a fact that no game, no matter how great, can maintain a steady increase when it comes to its popularity and prize pool. That is all the more true with that 40 million record. Over the years that follows ever since The Internationals 2021, the prize pool saw quite the decline.
This decline led to critics and some people within the community to worry about Dota 2’s financial health. The talks around the community seems to speculate that this decline happens due to various reasons, them being:
- A dispute with the Pro players and Valve. Some say that other famous Esports players of Dota 2 began to claim that the money that fuels the prize pool is due to their influence. They claim that people pay to see them play not because of the so-called Battlepass. Valve then caught a glimpse of this and decided to show how things really work, which then led to the prize pool going lower and lower.
- Comparison with other MOBA. Indeed, comparison always kills the fun in things. While Dota 2 may still be showing stability as a game, compared to other MOBAs like LoL, it may be on the losing end. Other games boast a bright increase in player base and popularity while Dota 2 seems to pale in comparison.
The Decline of The Internationals
This is perhaps really where it all stems. While if we look at statistics, the viewership seems to still show a lively fire for the Internations. But as more and more tournaments for Dota 2 arise, people in the community seem to start to lose excitement regarding the once biggest event. Some say that now, the Internationals have become just another big tournament.
Along with the decline in the prize pool, the game also struggles to garner new players despite having a stable core community. Compared to other games, Dota 2’s player gains appear steep. That with the looming contrast of how the game used to be, it certainly paints the picture of where the Dota 2 Esports is dying coming from.
Conclusion
The question of whether Dota 2 and its Esports is dying will probably continue to be talked about in the community. But is Dota 2 really dying? The short answer is no, not for now at least. Without all the comparison with other games, and the contrast with how it used to be, Dota 2 shows stability as a game.
The Internationals as an Esports still is Dota 2’s grandest tournament. While it may no longer be as great as its peak in 2021, it still manages to get quite a considerable viewership. There will always be dissatisfaction and critiques trying to claim that Dota 2 is dying, just like in any other games. But for now, the game still remains strong.
