Eight Teams Remain in Dota 2’s The International as Tournament Moves to Climate Pledge Arena
The Aegis of Champions is still up for grabs as the highly anticipated Dota 2 tournament, The International (TI) 2023, enters its final stage. Despite the absence of the battle pass, fans are flocking back to watch the event at the Climate Pledge Arena next weekend.
Once again, the CIS region takes the lead in viewership, as the match between Team Spirit and Virtus.pro was the most-watched, according to Esports Charts. A total of 954,097 fans tuned in across various TI 2023 broadcast channels to see Spirit secure a spot in the top six, defeating their regional rivals.
Although Esports Charts does not account for Chinese viewership, the impressive performance of Chinese teams, LGD Gaming and Azure Ray, at TI will surely generate more interest this week. With one Chinese team guaranteed to finish in the top three this year, the excitement is mounting.
Fortunately, the reception at the live event in Seattle has been positive, with spectators satisfied with the conditions. This is in stark contrast to the mixed reactions from both in-person and online viewers during last year’s TI in Singapore. One 2023 attendee even expressed their joy about the event.
However, the real impact of TI on Dota extends to its boost in the player base. TI 2022 saw a significant increase in the number of active players, with concurrent peaks exceeding one million in October 2022, according to Steam Charts.
After TI 2022, the average viewer count surpassed 500,000 before dropping to the low-400,000s throughout 2023. All eyes will be on the viewer count next week as TI 2023’s playoffs begin. Many are curious to see if the absence of a TI battle pass this year will impact the overall player counts.
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Despite low expectations of breaking any records in terms of viewership, attendance, or otherwise, it’s safe to say that Dota’s loyal fans continue to show their dedication to the title, despite frustrations with the current meta and the smaller prize pool at TI 2023.
The International continues this Friday, October 27th, with Nouns, Gaimin Gladiators, BetBoom, and VP battling it out for survival at midday CT.
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