In May, Valve revealed plans to host three major Dota 2 tournaments each year in addition to their yearly The International. Today it announced that first event.
The Frankfurt Major will feature 16 teams competing for $3 million in prizes at the Festhalle Messe in Frankfurt, Germany from Nov. 16 to 21. A list of teams invited to the event and its Regional Qualifiers will be revealed on Oct. 5, but the Major will also feature Open Qualifiers from Oct. 6 to 9.
ESL will produce the event, with FaceIt and Perfect World handling qualifiers. Fans can attend the tournament free of charge save for the final day of the event. Tickets to watch the championship will cost €50, going on sale Sept. 27.
This Major and the two unannounced events planned for February and March represent Valve’s attempt to counter the dominance The International exerts over the Dota 2 calendar.
This year’s version of that annual event featured a prize pool topping $18 million, over 72 percent of the money awarded so far in Dota 2 in 2015. The International 2014 and its $10.9 million pool accounted for 66 percent of the yearly mark. With so much riding on a single event, nothing else seems to matter.
The Frankfurt Major, with a large prize pool and a format that should feature most of the world’s best teams, should give Dota 2 players and fans something to get excited about during the rest of the year.
