- Valve has confirmed that it has not forgotten about the upcoming The International ticket sales
- However, caution requires from the company to wait and see how the pandemic evolves and what measures may Romania take on traveling
- The developers are hopeful that they can offer further details very soon, satisfying players' curiosity
Players are anxious to find out more about the upcoming Dota 2 The International ticket sales, but Valve cannot provide any answers as of yet.
Dota 2 Tickets Will Be Up for Sale – Definitely, Maybe
After an exciting year for competitive gaming, the question of whether The International, Dota 2's crowning jewel, will take place in front of live audiences remains up in the air. We are now less than a month away from the event, and Valve has released a statement that they are going to continue monitoring the situation and not provide any information about ticket sales presently.
After The International was postponed due to the pandemic last year, fans were hopeful that they might see an honest return to gaming in 2021, but many events had to be held privately or moved online so that the risk of COVID-19 infections is minimized.
To add insult to injury, Sweden decided against holding The International, prompting Valve to rapidly shift the location to Bucharest, Romania, and admittedly bringing us in the East a lot of joy. However, with no ticket sales available, and the pandemic still raging on in the world, we realize that attending the event would not be an easy sell.
Choppy Seas for The International in 2021
Valve had to switch to Romania after the Swedish Sports Federation failed to qualify The International as a sports event, thus complicating the process of obtaining a visa for many of the players. Romania, on the other hand, was happy to welcome the world's Dota 2 elite and TI 2021 with its eye-watering $40 million prize purse.
Commenting on the available information about ticket sales, Valve informed fans that things were moving slowly: “We had hoped to release ticket information by now, but the Delta variant has been an added challenge as we work to navigate hosting a live event as safe as possible.”
However, even welcoming Romania may change its travel policies for fellow Europeans and aliens from beyond the European Union's borders. Regardless, Valve promised to release ticket information as soon as the company can have some reassurances that fans would not be disappointed immediately after purchasing their entries.
With The International kicking off on October 7, the time window when Valve can do is rapidly closing. Yet, for all the drawbacks of the pandemic, TI 2021 promises to be a much grandeur celebration of Dota with the amazing prize pool that gives OG, the world's best-earning team, a chance to win a third TI in a row.
This year's event will feature 18 teams that will compete in the group stage from October 7 through October 10 and then plunge into the main event between October 12 and October 17 for some exciting plays.
