After leaks and outrage, Esports.gg can confirm that TI11 is currently scheduled to have remote casting for the majority of the event.
The International 2022 hype soured further today as it was revealed by leaks that the TI11 Last Chance Qualifiers and Group Stage will have remote casters and hosts. The so-called month-long TI will feature casters broadcasting from their bedrooms, and hosts in a remote locations, allegedly in Norway.
The news of this format was initially revealed by Dota 2 personality Lara “Hoxie” Schofield, who released the information via meme.
This information was later independently verified by Esports.gg. Currently the format of the TI11 Last Chance Qualifiers will allegedly be as follows: Hosts housed remotely in a studio in Norway, with casters working remotely from homes for the play-by-play commentary.
Sharp reactions to budget TI
The decision by tournament organizer PGL to have remote casters and hosts further leads to the proliferation of an opinion of TI11 that labels it as a ‘Budget TI.’ The Singapore TI has already undergone its fair share of controversy.
Tickets sold out in just a few hours, leaving thousands to scrape for scalpers in the following days and weeks. The format of the ticket sales meant that regardless of order, you were potentially locked out of a ticket sale from the get go.
In the wake of the reveal, several from the Dota 2 community have spoken out in criticism or dark humor about the decision.
Overall, the tone is clear: Dota 2 seems to be downsizing. Even if that’s not the case, the seemingly budget conditions of the LCQ (Last Chance Qualifiers) and Group Stage suggest it. PGL would apparently rather pay hosts to stand in Norway in the small hours of the morning and dead hours of the night, than send them to Singapore. Meanwhile casters will be bedroom casting like TI11 is a tier two event.
Not quite the prestige that an event projected to have a prize pool in the region of $30 million dollars should expect. Especially when we are already in the midst of a Coming Soon™ Battle Pass, with a third of its rewards missing on release. TI11 is the biggest event of the year for Dota 2. But by hook or by crook, Valve and PGL seem set on making sure that’s not the case.