In a rare occurrence, one of esports’ largest game developers has elected to reschedule one of the first big tournaments of the year.
Dota 2 developer Valve announced on Feb. 15 that the game’s first $3 million Major of the year, to be held in Kiev, has been rescheduled, and the tournament’s initial start date of April 20 has been changed to April 27. The event was rescheduled in order “to help reduce potential conflicts with other tournaments,” according to Valve.
The rescheduling is most likely due to the upcoming Dota 2 Asian Championship, arranged by Chinese games platform Perfect World, which is set to take place between March 28 to April 4. The announcement came on Dec. 16 last year, roughly one month after Valve announced the dates of the Kiev Major and the International 7, Dota 2’s flagship event.
Most, if not all, teams that are expected to be invited to the Kiev Major will be present at DAC, meaning the teams would not have much time to practice or take a break prior to the original dates for the Major.
While the event is still two months away, the sudden rescheduling may have put other tournaments in the Dota 2 circuit in a precarious position. The MarsTV Dota League announced on Nov. 24 that the LAN finals of its fifth season would take place between May 10 to 14. With such little time in-between the conclusion of the Kiev Major and the start of MDL Season 5, Valve’s move may very well see teams elect to forego competing at MarsTV’s Chinese LAN event.
