Disneyland Paris hosts the first-ever Dota 2 Major in France

Dota 2 and esports fans in France are set for a real treat this May, as Disneyland Paris will be hosting the first-ever Major tournament for this game in the nation. By teaming up with the esports organisers, Mars Media, Disneyland will put on the fourth Dota 2 Major on the current Dota 2 Pro Circuit season.

The gaming event will run from 4 to 12 May, and it will see the world’s very best Dota 2 teams in action at the Newport Bay Club and Disney Events Area. In order to book an appearance at this tournament, the contenders will have to slug it out in six online regional qualifiers. By passing this tough test, they will get the chance to compete in front of an audience of 6,300 at the first Dota 2 Major ever to have taken place in France.

The competition serves as a place to pick up points that could help each team qualify for The International Dota 2 Championships 2019 that will take place this summer in Shanghai, China. This will follow on from three prior Dota 2 Major tournaments that have already happened in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Chongqing in China, and Stockholm in Sweden. All of these events have allowed the teams to get up to $1 million in prize pool winnings, and get those all-important 15,000 DPC points.

It’s a bold move from Disney who have previously been surprisingly slow to take to the esports phenomenon. However, Disney have shown that they are willing to test the waters as has been seen when they hosted the Riot Games Open Tour France event last year, and Disney even conducted a special presentation declaring that they are going to get serious about esports.

By teaming up with Mars Media, it signals an exciting new partnership between one of the biggest entertainment names in the world, and one of the most promising esports tournament organisers.

Whilst Mars Media have only held their flagship gaming events in China until now, by allying themselves with Disney, they will be sure of benefiting from the brand name. Similarly, Disney will benefit greatly from the deal as the Mars Dota 2 League is one of the most captivating Dota 2 events in the world, and the Mars Media brand has become a key player in the esports industry.

As a result, it’s going to be fascinating to see which 16 Dota 2 teams will take part in the upcoming Paris Dota 2 Major. You will get a good headstart on the action by paying attention to the AMD Sapphire Dota Pit Minor that takes place in Split, Croatia in late April.

But regardless of what happens, the basic fact that Disney is starting to get serious about competitive gaming is undoubtedly a real boost for the esports community. Hopefully, we can look forward to many more top-level competitive gaming events taking part at other Disneyland resorts in the future.