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The Defence of the Ancients mod for Warcraft III changed the world of gaming by creating a MOBA sub-genre, but if you’re a real Dota-head, you’ll know the term MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) was actually created by Riot Games. Almost every modern title in the genre can trace its roots back to DotA, but it’s Valve’s version of the RTS tower-defence title that holds the crown.
But why is that? What makes Dota 2 seem like the granddaddy and most important part of the genre, despite not even being the first stand-alone version in the genre. Or event the first modification of its kind.
There was a time that almost every college campus, every high-school computer lab, and every home desktop computer had a copy of Warcraft III and the Defence of the Ancients: Allstars mod running on it. That’s because DotA combined the (at the time) immensely popular Real Time Strategy genre with the tower defence and multiplayer phenomenon that was taking place. But more than that, DotA was simple and easy to get into, ironic enough given how complex Dota 2 seems now by today’s standards.
Eventually, companies wanted to make a stand alone version of the mod. The original creators splintered into multiple dev teams, and we ended up with games like League of Legends, Heroes of Newerth, and, of course, Valve’s Dota 2.
League of Legend, originally subtitled Clash of Fates, released into closed beta in 2009, with a full launch later that year. The game skyrocketed in popularity, despite initial controversy from pay-to-win allegations for the release of new Champions and use of the original DotA’s ideas and influences.
Meanwhile, Valve was quietly creating what would becoming Dota 2. Despite some legal battles with Riot Games and Blizzard, eventually, in 2011, Dota 2 would be released. Revealed in 2011 with The International 2011, a groundbreaking esports event that featured a top prize of $1 million. From there, it entered into a closed beta period.
What made Dota 2 special was it kept true to many of the original wrinkles that made the DotA mod in Warcraft III so compelling. Things like a day and night cycle, turning circles, creep blocking. And access to the beta was a huge deal.
Beta access was handled through Steam. Steam users could obtain invitations to the game as an item in their Steam inventory at random by signing up. Active players could then receive extra invitations that could be traded to others. For a long while, this turned Dota 2 invitations into a commodity unto themselves, which was made confusing as different invitations wound up being exclusively usable in specific regions.
Though the game was already the biggest on Steam at that point, Dota 2 was officially launched and made openly available in 2013.
For a long while, Dota 2 set itself apart from the rest of the gaming pack by having absurdly large prize pools for its biggest esports events. Dota 2 pro players were famous, not just because of their skill, but because they were becoming the richest professional video gamers in the world.
The International became an annual event and in 2013, Valve added The International Compendium to the game. This was an item that could be purchased in-game to unlock extra content related to the tournament, with 25% of the revenue being added to the TI prize pool.
Fun Fact: Did you know it was Valve that invented the Battle Pass? Compendiums and Battle Passes were pioneered by Valve for Dota 2, and what is an industry standard today, wouldn’t exist without Dota!
In 2014, the TI Compendium grew further, adding new game modes, skins, and other features that were gated behind stretch goals. While the base prize pool of the event remained $1.6 million across each TI tournament, the contribution to the TI4 Compendium pushed the prize pool past $10 million.
This continued until 2016 when Valve changed the TI Compendium to the TI Battle Pass, which included even more features and progressively more elaborate skins, all gated behind a level-up system. Naturally, players could quickly get all the available items by ponying up even more cash. The system worked, pushing the prize pool up to $20 million for TI6, then $25 million for TI8. By TI10, the prize pool hit an astonishing $40 million.
Though the prize pool totals made eyes pop each year, it came at a cost both to the common player and to actual competitors.
The massive windfall of cash created a rigid stratification within Dota 2 esports. Overnight, Dota 2 TI winners became millionaires. Those who performed well at a previous The International event were able to afford the resources to maintain their spot on top. This saw numerous veterans stick around long past what would’ve been an expiration date in other esports simply because they had the means to do so while others didn’t. And the best Dota 2 teams became institutions that could afford to exist for decades off a single TI victory. Just look at Team Spirit, Team Liquid, and OG!
It also became a singularity for the entire esports scene. Nothing was worth doing unless it increased the chances of a strong performance at The International. The result was tournament organizers being unable to hold events, esports organizations being unable to get value out of a Dota 2 team, and pro players lacking the stability to be discovered and grow.
All that changed in 2023.
Following multiple Dota 2 in-game events that had no connection to The International from 2020 to 2022, Valve announced that The International Battle Pass was no more.
The company stated that this was due to the high amount of development resources required for creating Battle Pass. Valve instead started using the existing TI Battle Pass structure for in-game events like the “Nemestice Battle Pass,” allowing the company to use the same exact battle pass without putting any money into the esports scene.
The result was The International 2023’s prize pool being pushed down to $3.4 million from the previous year’s $40 million. While this theoretically afforded more room for tournament organizers and esports organizations, the uptake has been slow, with fewer events being run with smaller prize pools.
The good news for Valve is that this move has pushed up the player count markedly. 2024 and 2025 saw Dota 2 hit its highest player counts in years and retain those numbers over time.
Regular new releases, additions, and updates are forever keeping Dota 2 fresh and exciting. And Dota 2’s biggest streamers still attract thousands of viewers every single day.
One of the big features of Dota 2 esports is definitely the betting scene. As the premier MOBA in the world, and one where millions of dollars are on the line every single tournament, its only natural for viewers to want to get in on the action. Across the globe, hundreds of Dota 2 bookmakers provide odds and bets for every single Dota 2 tournament going on. But it can be difficult to know who to trust, and which bets are sure things and which are going to leave you rethinking your priorities!
That’s why at Jaxon.gg we’ll keep you up to date with upcoming Dota 2 esports events, match previews and predictions, updates on team rosters and performances, and insure you know when, where and how every single team is going to be competing.
Beyond this, we’ll keep you up to date with reviews, insights and information about the best sites and bookmakers to use. From an impartial voice that cares about both esports and getting the best deals and outcomes for our readers.
From outright winners, to individual performances, over under, match time, and beyond, there’s dozens of ways you can leverage your Dota 2 knowledge (and ours) to bet on the games. And we’ll keep you informed of the best odds and deals going on for each tournament, as they happen.
With Dota 2 being the one of the biggest esports games in the world, the team at Jaxon.gg is committed to keeping readers up to date on everything important.
Our Dota 2 news isn’t just for fans. It’s for hardcore gamers and savvy bettors. So don’t be surprised when you find updates focused on new abilities, heroes and updates, alongside tournament Dota 2 betting guides.
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