Dota 2’s The International is an iconic eSport competition that’s been running since 2011. For the first few years, developer Valve funded the prize pool that pro teams would compete for, roughly $1.6 million to $3 million.
In recent years, Valve still puts up a chunk of cash, but fans can donate to the prize pool by purchasing TI battle passes or add-on packs. The prize pool has grown almost every year, and fans like to keep an eye out for what it is each time the event rolls around.
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What is The Dota 2 TI Prize Pool Now? (Updated for 2023)
The Dota 2 TI 2023 Prize Pool stands at $2,793,227 as of October 4, 2023. We’ll update this number regularly to ensure fans always have the latest information. The figure comes courtesy of Dota 2 Prize Tracker. A website that’s able to access information that Valve used to share on the Dota 2 TI Prize Pool before it revoked access.
As seen in the image above, the Dota 2 TI Prize Pool for 2023 is the slowest growing in a long time. Based on past data, we’ve worked out that it’s the slowest growth the prize pool has seen since 2014. The reason for this is pretty clear to fans.
Why is The Dota 2 TI Prize Pool 2023 so Low
The reason the Dota 2 TI Prize Pool for 2023 is so low is twofold. First, Dota 2 players have become fatigued by the battle passes in the game. Fewer money is donated to the Prize Pool when they buy fewer battle passes. Valve noticed this early in the year and vowed to make changes so that better content would come to fans less frequently to allow the changes to be more impactful.
The second reason the Prize Pool is low for 2023 is down to Valve’s cut of the TI 2023 Compendium add-on. For every purchase of the Compendium, only 25% is donated to the TI 2023 Prize Pool. This differs from previous years when much more was donated to the pool that pros would compete for.
Fans aren’t pleased about the increased cut Valve is taking from the Compendium, and they aren’t pleased about the Compendium itself. A lack of sales and lower donations from those sales have led to the smallest Prize Pool for TI at this point in the competition in an incredibly long time. Players are yet to match Valve’s initial funding, which was only $1.6 million, despite the developer stating it would push $3 million into the competition.
