Defying expectations, the first One Esports Dota 2 World Pro Invitational was a smash hit

Defying expectations, the first One Esports Dota 2 World Pro Invitational was a smash hit
PHOTO: AsiaOne / Ilyas Sholihyn

Any concerns about the esports industry being a bubble ready to burst were allayed over the weekend when the Singapore Indoor Stadium saw nearly all of its seats filled up by a very keen and energised audience for a Dota 2 tournament. 

Yeap, they totally pulled it off. The inaugural One Esports Dota 2 World Pro Invitational was a raging success despite some doubts by punters that Singapore wouldn’t be able to fill up the 8,000-seater venue. But fill up it did, albeit on Saturday and Sunday but not so much on Friday (people do have jobs you know). 

Though the prize pool wasn’t as disgustingly absurd as The International’s US$34,300,000 (S$46,524,516), 12 of the top professional teams from around the world dropped by nonetheless for the final major Dota 2 tournament of the year (a total prize pool of US$500,000 isn't that bad). 

But only one team could lift the One Esports belt, and yesterday (Dec 22), China’s Vici Gaming emerged as the clear and dominant champion — initial underdogs who laid waste to the strapping likes of Alliance, Team Secret, and TNC Predator. 

North American squad Evil Geniuses put up a strong fight in the final showdown, but Vici pulled through with three straight consecutive wins against them. The Chinese team walked home with US$200,000 and the title of the first champion of One Esports’ Dota 2 World Pro Invitational.

“Chinese Dota will never die,” announced Vici’s coach rOtk on stage, reported One Esports

“We had two objectives for the One Esports Dota 2 Singapore World Pro Invitational,” commented One Esports CEO Carlos Alimurung. 

“Firstly, we wanted to deliver an amazing competition experience for fans and players with extensive meet and greet sessions, cosplay, and online and in-stadium giveaways and contests. Secondly, we wanted to showcase that Singapore, a country that in its short history has become a global tech and innovation hub, is a perfect place to host world-class esports events.” 

As fun as it was witnessing a full-fledged Dota 2 event in a giant stadium (complete with all the collective oohs and aahs from the crowd), it felt a little unreal seeing how a little Warcraft 3 mod we played in dinky LAN cafes has become an industry of its own — an ecosystem filled with globetrotting athletes, journalists who take it all very seriously, and all-encompassing hospitality for everyone involved by the event-organising team. 

Now, excuse me while I reinstall Dota 2 on my computer. See y’all at the stadium again when the proper Dota 2 Major tournament rolls into town next June


ilyas@asiaone.com

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