TI10 ticket sales delayed due to Covid-19 Delta variant concerns

Dota 2 developer and publisher Valve Corporation will postpone the selling of tickets to The International 2021 (TI10). Valve broke the news Friday afternoon, via a blog post on the official Dota 2 website.

In the announcement itself, Valve states that they already had a selling date in mind. However, the circumstances brought about by the spread of the Covid-19 Delta variant have created roadblocks in this regard. "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 safely as possible," said Valve of the situation. "With circumstances constantly changing, we want to be careful to make a well-informed and safe decision regarding ticket sales closer to the event."

This news makes things much harder for those looking to attend TI10. Spectators will now have to wait for further announcements to know when to book their flight tickets, for example. Global travel restrictions will also come into play, especially with the rapid spread of the Delta variant as such. At the rate things are going, it is possible that Valve might opt to hold the event with a more limited seating capacity in mind.

As for the teams competing at the event, the situation as a whole creates some uncertainty. Squads based in countries hit hard by Covid-19 such as the Philippines and Malaysia may find it difficult to secure passage to Romania, where the tournament is to take place. In fact, Riot Games recently announced that Filipino Valorant team Bren Esports will not be competing in Valorant Masters in Germany, due to them being unable to acquire visas in time.

Despite the delay, though, Valve remains adamant that the event will take place as scheduled. TI10 is currently set for October 7th to the 17th, at the National Arena in Bucharest, Romania. Whether or not this will turn out to be the case, however, is anyone's guess at this point.