Since 2014, Dota 2 fans have been crying over the comeback of annual the Christmas Event dubbed Frostivus. This year, Valve answered their prayers but not in a traditional Frostivus Brawl; instead, a custom game contest.

Frostivus – Okay, but why a custom game contest?

Dubbed as “Frostivus Game Contest,” this event will give opportunities for custom game makers in the Dota 2 community not only to showcase their games and talents but also to give acknowledgment to their contribution in the community. Over the past months, Valve has been facing issues regarding neglect to workshop artists and not giving importance to custom games. This action could be their way of showing support to the people behind Dota 2 custom games, contrary to what people think.

The main reason why annual events like Frostivus and Diretide were scraped out in the first place was due to Valve’s transition from using Source 1 to Source 2 game engine. The events were made in Source 1. In December 2014, they announced migration to the Source 2 engine and building the Frostivus and Diretide in Source 2 means rebuilding it back from scratch. Valve’s official explanation about scratching out Frostivus and Diretide can be read here.

And what’s the prize?

The winning entry will receive $30,000 and this prize will be divided by the winning contributors in accordance to what they have agreed during the submission process. However, the agreement states:

By entering the contest, you agree that if your entry is chosen as a winner, you will not receive revenue share from Valve under the Workshop Supplemental Terms. The only compensation for the winning entry will be the prize described.

Which means the owner of the winning entry is more likely to lose ownership once the entry was chosen. The winning game will presumably be officially used as a part of Frostivus 2017 celebration. For more information about the contest, read the official contest rules.

Additional updates: Dueling Fates and True Sight Episode

Aside from the announcement of Frostivus Custom Game Contest, Valve made a statement about the release of Dueling Fates update:

We are still hard at work on it and don’t have an exact release date, but we are expecting it to take about another month to finish the content.

Moreover, they also unveiled an official trailer of a new episode of the Dota 2 film series “True Sight: The International 2017.” The trailer can be viewed below.