fixed_point Profile Joined June 2011 Germany 2423 Posts #1



English overview of the tournament



Haitao, one of China's most prominent casters, has



"Regarding the crowdfunding model of the i-league, I have seen various opinions. There are those who support, those who are curious, and those who are skeptical. I will explain a few important points/issues. I hope this would help everyone understand us, and more so about i-league.





Q: Is it illegal to raise funds through crowdfunding?



A: According to the definition in the Baidu encyclopaedia, the crowdfunding model, from a commercial and financial perspective, is actually a type of collective buying. In essence, it is different from illegal fundraising: none of the events/projects can be exchanged for interest/equity or financial rewards. Furthermore, the organiser cannot promise or offer any financial incentives for donators. They can only be rewarded by a solid product, service, or media content etc.



Donators can only support the event, rather than investing in it. Mainland China's laws mandated that "crowdfunding does not involve equity, bonds, profit sharing, interest, etc. Otherwise, the project will be under suspicion of illegal fundraising."



We refuse to do anything which breaks the law, which is why we chose Modian.com, as to eliminate the risk of illegal fundraising. They are a professional crowdfunding website, with public and transparent records of the donations. We will of course not be laundering money, and also we guarantee we won't embezzle any money. Actually, Modian.com can be considered our sponsor as well, because scanning the



Those players/fans who don't want to spend any money can also support our competition. If every dota2 player scans the QR code, how special would the prizepool be...If we are able to secure such a sponsor in the future, is it possible for esports to replace the current model (of rich sponsors losing money every event) and strive towards a more sustainable model with support at the grassroots level. This is what we hope for.





Q: You want to host a tournament with only a hundred thousand RMB, and expect players to earn money? Are you trying to rip us off?



A: We are hosting a LAN tournament in Shanghai. With eight teams, there are about 6-7 people including coaches and managers. With the SEA, Europe, and American regional tournaments, 100,000 RMB is only an initial investment, not the total investment. Transportation fees for both international and national teams, European and American plane tickets...I'll stop discussing this, it is heartbreaking. Setting up and renting the venue, the food and hotels for the teams, it all costs money...We do not have our own large-scale auditorium, so we must rent from an external source. How long will the eight teams play? Three days is not too little, 5 days is not too much, the venue setup will require a large expenditure.



We have organised competitions for so many years: as the original organisers of the G-league, we still earn acclaim from the competitors of our tournaments. Furthermore, we surely cannot just plop down 10 computers and run an offline tournament right? With at least 50-60 competitors and managers, we have to reserve at least 30 rooms. Even if the LAN event only runs for three days, they will probably stay for 5 days. My maths is not great, everyone please help me count how much money that is...As a rough approximation, to run three such events in a year will force us to run at a loss of 3-4 million RMB. 70% of that is the prizepool, and 30% will be down to costs. It will be impossible to turn a profit, but if we manage to run more events this way, we will be satisfied.





Q: If you don't earn money, how can you organise a competition? There are even sponsors!



A: Actually, all our current sponsors do not have the ability to completely offset the costs of running tournaments, unless the sponsor itself is the main organiser. G league used to have 龙狼三国 [t/n note: Not sure any good translation of this title exists, but it is an web-based RPG] as a sponsor. It is a fengyun game, that is to say, it does not have a proper sponsor either. Just helping each other out and increase our profiles. Perhaps we could attract some peripherals sponsors, but they don't have too much money. Giving 100,000 RMB? That would be generous, most times just providing their products is sufficient. We run tournaments at a loss because we have to use tournaments to strengthen imbaTV's brand. At the same time, we continually train our team and expand the dota2 market. We just wish to run the best e-sports tournaments, regardless of profit, no one can impede our efforts at achieving this goal.





Q: Compared to other crowdfunded tournaments, your rewards pale in comparison!



A: We confess that compared to other crowdfunded events, we do not provide the same level of rewards to our donators. Therefore for those who are more into rewards, you can just scan the code to voice your support. This is our first foray into such matters. If there is a next time, we will definitely focus more on improving this aspect.





Q: Will dotaTV be available?



A: Of course, and it will be free of charge.





At last, I hope everyone can calm down and consider our new model. You can choose to reject it, but please believe us when we say that we are not doing this for the money. We have six founders, five of whom are married and three with children. 妖魔 (Monster?)'s baby daughter is not even a month old. During the TI qualifiers, he was broadcasting with us day and night. His wife was about to give birth, but he did not have time to take care of her at home. Did you know that the opening of imbaTV, the sixth of June, was actually his daughter's due date? Luckily, his daughter supported our business and came out only a few days later (short story here, he was busy working on our



Not to brag too much, we are probably one of the most understanding teams in the Chinese e-sport teams. Every day we bring a smile to the office. We treat e-sports, treat imbaTV, as our own child. ImbaTV's office has no lack of things. There is plenty of space to sleep - chairs and sofas will do - otherwise this hectic schedule cannot be sustained by anyone...



Once again I hope everyone can stop the vitriol. It is ok if you don't support us, let us bang our heads until we bleed, let us know if depending on fans is not a path we can take. We will then put our heads down and throw ourselves at the mercy of large corporations/manufacturers. With our skill and expertise, we should be able to survive comfortably like this. However, since we did choose to pioneer a risky, yet possibly immensely rewarding and historic route, we will lick our wounds and carry on.







Shameless advertisement at the end: i-league Modian support website is at



ImbaTV official forum is at



Just scan the QR code, and the prizepool will be increased by 1 RMB. You lose nothing by scanning. You won't be tricked if you scan. You help contribute to China's best Dota2 competition if you scan. ImbaTV excitedly offers you this opportunity."











Please let me know if I have made any errors in my translation, or if something is unclear.



Since the format of the tournament given by the 2p.com link is in Chinese, here is a translation of that as well.

+ Show Spoiler +

Qualifiers: BO1 single elimination

Two teams from each region advance to Lan finals (SEA teams play in CN qualifiers)



Lan Finals: 8 teams - 6 from qualifiers, 2 Chinese teams directly seeded. Format is single elimination throughout.

Quarterfinals: BO1

Semifinals: BO3

Finals: BO5







ImbaTV recently unveiled a tournament, i-league, which will draw most of its prize pool from crowdfunding. This international tournament is due to take up most of August with an offline finals in Shanghai.English overview of the tournament here Haitao, one of China's most prominent casters, has this to say about the crowdfunding aspects, as well as giving several insights into the logistics of running an international tournament in China. Here is a translation of his post."Regarding the crowdfunding model of the i-league, I have seen various opinions. There are those who support, those who are curious, and those who are skeptical. I will explain a few important points/issues. I hope this would help everyone understand us, and more so about i-league.Is it illegal to raise funds through crowdfunding?According to the definition in the Baidu encyclopaedia, the crowdfunding model, from a commercial and financial perspective, is actually a type of collective buying. In essence, it is different from illegal fundraising: none of the events/projects can be exchanged for interest/equity or financial rewards. Furthermore, the organiser cannot promise or offer any financial incentives for donators. They can only be rewarded by a solid product, service, or media content etc.Donators can only support the event, rather than investing in it. Mainland China's laws mandated that "We refuse to do anything which breaks the law, which is why we chose Modian.com, as to eliminate the risk of illegal fundraising. They are a professional crowdfunding website, with public and transparent records of the donations. We will of course not be laundering money, and also we guarantee we won't embezzle any money. Actually, Modian.com can be considered our sponsor as well, because scanning the QR code can bring Modian.com new customers, and they are willing to contribute to the prizepool as well.Those players/fans who don't want to spend any money can also support our competition. If every dota2 player scans the QR code, how special would the prizepool be...If we are able to secure such a sponsor in the future, is it possible for esports to replace the current model (of rich sponsors losing money every event) and strive towards a more sustainable model with support at the grassroots level. This is what we hope for.You want to host a tournament with only a hundred thousand RMB, and expect players to earn money? Are you trying to rip us off?We are hosting a LAN tournament in Shanghai. With eight teams, there are about 6-7 people including coaches and managers. With the SEA, Europe, and American regional tournaments, 100,000 RMB is only an initial investment, not the total investment. Transportation fees for both international and national teams, European and American plane tickets...I'll stop discussing this, it is heartbreaking. Setting up and renting the venue, the food and hotels for the teams, it all costs money...We do not have our own large-scale auditorium, so we must rent from an external source. How long will the eight teams play? Three days is not too little, 5 days is not too much, the venue setup will require a large expenditure.We have organised competitions for so many years: as the original organisers of the G-league, we still earn acclaim from the competitors of our tournaments. Furthermore, we surely cannot just plop down 10 computers and run an offline tournament right? With at least 50-60 competitors and managers, we have to reserve at least 30 rooms. Even if the LAN event only runs for three days, they will probably stay for 5 days. My maths is not great, everyone please help me count how much money that is...As a rough approximation, to run three such events in a year will force us to run at a loss of 3-4 million RMB. 70% of that is the prizepool, and 30% will be down to costs. It will be impossible to turn a profit, but if we manage to run more events this way, we will be satisfied.If you don't earn money, how can you organise a competition? There are even sponsors!Actually, all our current sponsors do not have the ability to completely offset the costs of running tournaments, unless the sponsor itself is the main organiser. G league used to have 龙狼三国 [t/n note: Not sure any good translation of this title exists, but it is an web-based RPG] as a sponsor. It is a fengyun game, that is to say, it does not have a proper sponsor either. Just helping each other out and increase our profiles. Perhaps we could attract some peripherals sponsors, but they don't have too much money. Giving 100,000 RMB? That would be generous, most times just providing their products is sufficient. We run tournaments at a loss because we have to use tournaments to strengthen imbaTV's brand. At the same time, we continually train our team and expand the dota2 market. We just wish to run the best e-sports tournaments, regardless of profit, no one can impede our efforts at achieving this goal.Compared to other crowdfunded tournaments, your rewards pale in comparison!We confess that compared to other crowdfunded events, we do not provide the same level of rewards to our donators. Therefore for those who are more into rewards, you can just scan the code to voice your support. This is our first foray into such matters. If there is a next time, we will definitely focus more on improving this aspect.Will dotaTV be available?Of course, and it will be free of charge.At last, I hope everyone can calm down and consider our new model. You can choose to reject it, but please believe us when we say that we are not doing this for the money. We have six founders, five of whom are married and three with children. 妖魔 (Monster?)'s baby daughter is not even a month old. During the TI qualifiers, he was broadcasting with us day and night. His wife was about to give birth, but he did not have time to take care of her at home. Did you know that the opening of imbaTV, the sixth of June, was actually his daughter's due date? Luckily, his daughter supported our business and came out only a few days later (short story here, he was busy working on our gyrocopter music video and gave his wife the original tune to listen to. His wife's...water broke...). His daughter was just born, and he didn't have many chances to see her, but he kept working overtime during ESL...Not to brag too much, we are probably one of the most understanding teams in the Chinese e-sport teams. Every day we bring a smile to the office. We treat e-sports, treat imbaTV, as our own child. ImbaTV's office has no lack of things. There is plenty of space to sleep - chairs and sofas will do - otherwise this hectic schedule cannot be sustained by anyone...Once again I hope everyone can stop the vitriol. It is ok if you don't support us, let us bang our heads until we bleed, let us know if depending on fans is not a path we can take. We will then put our heads down and throw ourselves at the mercy of large corporations/manufacturers. With our skill and expertise, we should be able to survive comfortably like this. However, since we did choose to pioneer a risky, yet possibly immensely rewarding and historic route, we will lick our wounds and carry on.Shameless advertisement at the end: i-league Modian support website is at http://imbatv.modian.com ImbaTV official forum is at http://bbs.imbatv.cn Just scan the QR code, and the prizepool will be increased by 1 RMB. You lose nothing by scanning. You won't be tricked if you scan. You help contribute to China's best Dota2 competition if you scan. ImbaTV excitedly offers you this opportunity."Please let me know if I have made any errors in my translation, or if something is unclear.Since the format of the tournament given by the 2p.com link is in Chinese, here is a translation of that as well.