Can Valve fix Dota 2 Esports before all the teams leave?

Heroic’s recent departure from Dota 2 is a huge wake-up call. They’re a solid top ten team in the world, a regular playoff contender, and a strong candidate to qualify for The International. Yet, the organization still pulled out, citing financial issues and financial issues only. If a team of this caliber can’t make it work monetarily, there’s something clearly wrong within the Dota 2 scene.

At this point, Valve needs to step in, or Dota 2 esports is going to die in a year or two. Here are some things I think Valve can immediately address to make the game more sustainable for organizations.

Force Tournament Organizers to Implement Club Shares

Honestly speaking, this is the easiest and most immediate fix for organizations to sustain their rosters. Valve should push for a “club share” system, where prize pools from tournaments are divided between the players and the organization itself.

For example, Valve is already doing this in Counter-Strike tournaments. Take IEM Rio 2026, a $1 million event that just ended last month. Out of that million-dollar prize pool, $700,000 was distributed as club shares – money going directly to the organization – while the players took home $300,000 in total.

Team Vitality won the tournament, with the players claiming $125,000 while the organization received $170,000 from club shares. Team Spirit placed second, players got $50,000 and $120,000 was distributed in club shares. If a team like Heroic is pulling the plug, Dota 2 needs this – badly. 

This system was already in place for ESL One Birmingham 2026, but the percentage shares were only at 25% for the organizations – not quite enough, in my opinion. While I think the 70% share for IEM Rio was way too high, I think something like 40 to 50% would hit the sweet spot and give organizations a fighting chance. ESL are the organizers for both events, too.

Considering we have million-dollar tournaments almost every month, organizations can get a ton of assistance to keep a healthier, more predictable monthly cash flow and pay their bills.

The tournament organizers are still pitching in the same money, and fans still see the same prize pool numbers, so there’s really nothing lost on the surface. The biggest change is that organizations now have some financial incentive to qualify for these events, get some money back, and continue fielding the best possible rosters.

Bring Back the Battle Pass for TI

Honestly, this is what everyone wants. The massive Dota 2 prize pools at The International were the main reason why this game had so much money in the first place. We literally went from $40 million to $2 million in a few years.

Back when TI prize pools were in the tens of millions, winning – or even placing well – could fund a roster for months. Though different organizations had different ways to approach the split, prize money from TI was typically split seven ways – five players, the coach, and the organization. 

When teams are splitting tens of millions of dollars, that’s some really decent money for organizations to keep going. It also makes them believe there’s a real, viable financial future in Dota 2. 

And it’s not just directly about the money. A huge TI prize pool is a great marketing move – probably the best one Dota 2 even has. When there’s more attention, existing organizations continue investing, and new sponsors or organizations potentially enter the market too. More money flows in for everyone. 

We don’t need $40 million in prize money all the time, but going over eight figures would certainly help save the professional scene and potentially bring in new players too. You simply can’t expect organizations to invest in Dota 2 if Valve won’t.