Valve has postponed its largest Dota 2 event, The International, to a later date, which will likely be sometime in 2021, the company announced today.
This comes after more than a month of observing the effects of COVID-19, Valve says, and with how uncertain live events are amid the coronavirus global pandemic, it is unlikely that things would clear up before August.
Valve is already having discussions within the organization and with outside partners, sponsors, and tournament organizers about restructuring the Dota Pro Circuit for fall. The developer also said the next Battle Pass, which will contribute 25 percent of The International’s prize pool, will not revolve around the tournament’s start date.
“Given the highly volatile landscape for local gathering restrictions, virus trajectory, and global travel policies, we don’t expect to have enough confidence to communicate firm dates in the near future,” Valve said. “In the meantime, we are working on restructuring the DPC season for the fall, and will be providing more information as soon as we have it.”
Since developers are working from home, Valve says the Battle Pass release will be “be at least a couple of weeks later than usual.”
Typically, the TI Battle Pass launches near the start of May, which gives players three full months to purchase levels and unlock all of the rewards while also funding the event’s prize pool. It is unclear how the move to 2021 will affect the Battle Pass’ run time, but Valve will have some time to play with how it is handled.
