Mentioned in this article Games: Dota 2, Fortnite

Dota 2‘s The International 2018 tournament has raised over $10M for its prize pool just two weeks.

The prize pool is initially funded by Valve at $1.6M, but bolstered by 25% of all in-game sales of the game’s esports-themed Battle Pass.

TI has long featured the biggest prize pool in esports, but could be upset by newcomer Fortnite.

With still nearly 100 days remaining before Dota 2‘s The International 2018 in August, the tournament’s prize pool has officially topped $10M. The tournament is well known for having the biggest prize pool in esports, and this year is no different, thus far outpacing last year by about 4 days.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The business model around Valve’s Dota 2 esports system is definitively successful, but shows signs of slowing down.[/perfectpullquote]

The International’s prize pool is pretty easy to understand—the game’s developer Valve chips in $1.6M, and then puts 25% of all Battle Pass sales towards the prize pool. The Battle Pass is an in-game purchase that unlocks access to exclusive rewards and features such as the ability to make predictions on major Dota 2 tournaments. Each Pass gains points and levels up, either through playing the game or engaging in the game in other ways (such as making correct predictions).

Of course, you can also level up your Battle Pass by just throwing more money at it. The full list of actual rewards is still being slowly released, but includes many in-game aesthetic unlocks including sprays, couriers, and caster packs. At levels 1,000 and 2,000, though, Valve rewards with actual physical models of the in-game aegis icon and a baby version of big bad Roshan.

The business model around Valve’s Dota 2 esports system is definitively successful, but shows signs of slowing down. Briefly last year, the 2017 prize pool lagged behind the previous year’s. Valve countered with a discount shortly after, leading to a spike in sales and eventually the largest prize pool in esports history.

The unofficial TI prize pool tracker has all the in-depth stats that fans love, including that the current pool is 5.44% above last year’s at the same point in time, 42.1% funded compared to last year’s total, and 551.69% of the initial funding level (your numbers may vary, the site is updated hourly).

[perfectpullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Could TI finally be slipping?[/perfectpullquote]

The accurate statistics, however, do reveal a possibly troubling fact for this year. This year’s TI debuted with over $800,000 in sales on day 1—but is currently within $500K of last year’s pool at the same point in time. Could TI finally be slipping? Dota 2 has long-held its massive prize pool as a claim to fame, and fans will no doubt discuss the growth of the prize pool as the event nears.

Still, nothing could change the revokation of Dota 2‘s cash-cow status. Fortnite‘s recently-announced $100 million esports season is still largely undetailed, but it’s not impossible to imagine Epic Games devoting a portion of its investment in upsetting the balance.