Valve’s The International 2022 Prize Pool Hits $10 Million, but Trails Behind Previous Records
The prize pool for The International 2022 has reached a major milestone, surpassing $10 million in sales from the battle pass. However, the current numbers show that it is lagging behind the record-breaking figures of previous years in the world of Dota 2 esports.
Since its launch on September 1, the TI11 battle pass has been steadily generating sales, outperforming many other esport prize pools in history. It started off strong, breaking the $7 million mark within just 24 hours and keeping up with the record-holders from 2019 and 2021, which currently stand at $34,292,599 and $40,018,195 respectively.
Unfortunately, the sales for the 2022 battle pass have started to decline over the past week, resulting in a widening gap between the three recent events. The graph depicting the sales has almost leveled off, with the battle pass losing momentum.
As of September 9, the TI11 prize pool stands at $10,067,686. This figure includes Valve’s base contribution of $1.6 million and the additional $8,467,686 contributed by 25 percent of the current battle pass sales. However, it falls short of both TI9 and the current record holder TI10 by almost $1.5 million and $2 million respectively. With limited time remaining, it will be challenging for the 2022 battle pass to catch up.
Even if Valve releases more Level Bundles on Steam to encourage purchases, the battle pass is facing a shortened timeline due to Part I ending on November 2. As a result, the pay-in for the event will be removed in Part II, further limiting the opportunity to raise funds for TI11.
Community Response and Future Outlook
The response to this year’s battle pass has been largely negative, potentially contributing to the decline in sales. Whether this is due to the split content in two parts is still uncertain. It seems likely that, for the first time since 2011, The International will not break its own record for the largest Dota 2 and overall esports prize pool. TI10 will remain the reigning title holder in that regard.
While the possibility of a last-minute surge in sales cannot be completely ruled out, each passing day makes it less probable. The current trends and negative impact on sales are indicative of a challenging situation for the battle pass to make a significant comeback.
Related: Full 2022 Dota 2 Battle Pass Schedule: All Dates, Content, and More
Valve, The International 2022, prize pool, battle pass, Dota 2, esports