Valve have finally given an update on the future of The International 10. Their flagship event was set to take place in Stockholm from August 17-22, but as a response to the “global health emergency stemming from COVID-19,” Valve have decided to delay the tournament.
Valve has announced that TI10 will "likely" need to happen in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Image via Wykrhm Reddy/Twitter)
“We have been exploring various date possibilities, but it is likely that the event will need to happen in 2021,” said Valve in their official post. “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.”
The Dota Pro Circuit was put on hold mid-season in March following the outbreak of the pandemic, and Valve went on to say they are already working on “restructuring the DPC season for the fall.”
Valve’s silence over TI10 raised questions as to whether they will be releasing the customary TI Battle Pass. Valve also addressed this concern in the announcement, stating that they will release it “soon”, despite it no longer being close to the event.
“However, with our team working from home and things taking longer to complete, the release date of the Battle Pass will be at least a couple of weeks later than usual,” said Valve.
The Battle Pass is, of course, the driving force behind The International’s record-breaking prize money, as 25% of all sales go towards the prize pool for the event. For Dota 2 fans, the delay of TI10 will not be music to their ears, but the prospect of a BattlePass despite the event’s delay is a silver lining many will be happy to hear about. For reference, last year’s BattlePass was released on May 7, 2019.
“We hope everyone in the Dota community is staying as safe as possible, and look forward to a time when we can once again welcome everyone to enjoy the spectacle of The International,” said Valve.
