There’s some bad news coming out of the Dota 2 esports scene, as Valve has made the snap decision to cancel its February Pro Circuit Winter Major. The in-person LAN event was meant to be the capstone for the circuit, but “the discovery and spread of new strains of COVID-19 and the resulting increase of travel restrictions has made it unfeasible for all qualified teams to gather.” The first tour will instead wrap up once all of the regional league tournaments have ended.
The decision itself most certainly makes sense, but the timing of the announcement has left many esports pros and orgs in the financial lurch and made them feel undervalued, causing many players and orgs to voice their displeasure online, either through the vehicle of memes or just outright angry Twitter rants.
Valve released a statement admitting that the company “should have done a better job of keeping [competitors] in the loop about the risks to the event” and also admitting that it “should have been more willing to take a different approach earlier to find a way to conclude the first season.” Valve is working on plans to hold the tournament via LAN somehow and promises to offer updates once that plan is more concrete.
