Veteran Dota 2 Fans Get Nostalgic with TI 2023 Hub Stream
During the Road to The International this week, veteran Dota 2 fans were given a taste of nostalgia with OG legend Johan “N0tail” Sundstein hosting his own version of the casual coverage stream. The stream featured the likes of Grubby, Gorgc, and pieliedie.
To keep up with TI 2023’s group stage, the hub stream was hosted on both Gorgc’s and OG’s Twitch channels. With four series happening simultaneously, the hub stream handpicked the most entertaining match and provided top-tier insights.
Even though Maurice “KheZu” Gutmann was remotely working at TI 2023 as a talent member, he also made appearances on this year’s hub broadcast. Fueled by a private chef delivering delicious food, the 2023 TI hub continues to cover the tournament during Phase Two of the Road to The International.
The setup and camaraderie among the invitees brought back memories of the legendary 2014 TI Hub. The hub was a gathering place for English-speaking casters and panelists to cover TI’s qualifiers that year. It featured pro Dota analysis, party games, and even table tennis during downtime.
In addition to providing valuable game analysis, the 2023 hub captured viewers with old stories and lively discussions. Many fans preferred the hub stream over TI 2023’s official broadcast channels, especially during the group stage. At times, the hub stream even had higher viewership than two to three group-stage channels combined.
However, as TI 2023 entered the second phase of the group stage, the tournament’s official channel began streaming only one game at a time. This allowed Valve to catch up. At the time of writing, TI’s main Twitch channel had over 80,000 viewers, while the OG hub still maintained a crowd of 25,000 strong.
The Road to The International will conclude next week with the opening round of the playoff bracket. After that, the final eight teams will move to the Climate Pledge Arena to battle for the Aegis of Champions.
Dota 2, TI 2023, Dota 2 esports, OG, N0tail, Twitch, group stage, Dota 2 analysis, hub stream, tournament coverage