Dota 2’s The International 10 sets new prize pool record for esports

The International 10 has set a new bar for the biggest prize pool in esports history, again, even as the Dota 2 Major’s still has a way to go before completing it’s final tally.

The pinnacle of Dota 2 esports is one of the largest celebrations of the popular MOBA, and its record-setting prize pool is a big part of that. Traditionally, Valve contributes a baseline of $1,600,000 to the pot while Battle Pass (BP) purchases contribute 25% of the total pool with other in-game item sales also counted.

In years past, this has routinely created scenarios in which even teams that bow out of the tournament early get a hefty amount of winnings for their trip to the Major.

That trend will stay alive for the International 10, with the pot eclipsing the last benchmark of $33,330,068 as even more of the Dota 2 faithful are contributing an enormous amount for the future event.

As of August 26, the International 10’s prize pool is at a staggering $34,392,282 – with $32,782,169 coming via contributions from the Dota 2 Battle Pass, according to data from the Dota 2 prize tracker.

What’s most impressive is the time in which players in 2020 got the prize pool to its current mark. In 2019, the International reached its $34.3 mil prize pool in about 110 days before the event’s festivities got underway.

This time, the fundraising outpaced every metric from past samples that ultimately led to where it is now: The International 10 got to the record-breaking number in only 93 days.

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Even from the initial launch of the Battle Pass for 2020, the Dota 2 fanbase jumped on the prospect of the new season of content. In the first day of sales, the contribution form BP sales outdid any of the previous iterations with $6.5 million compared to the prior year, that came the closest, of $5.8 million.

Biggest Prize Pools in Esports

1. The International 10 – $34,392,282 (and counting)
2. The International 2019 – $34,330,069
3. The International 2018 – $25,532,177
4. The International 2016 – $20,770,460.00
5. The International 2015 – $18,429,613.05
6. Fortnite World Cup Finals 2019: Solo – $15,287,500.00

There are questions of how crowdfunding for The International will progress from here since the major has been postponed due to the current global health crisis.

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While TI10 has already established itself in the record books, there is uncertainty from Valve with how the tournament will be structured in terms of its Battle Pass and crowdfunding effort.

What is known is that whenever it’s safely able to resume, the winning organization will be handsomely rewarded the lion’s share of the $34,392,282 (and counting) prize pool.