Here’s the ‘TI opening ceremony’
Dota 2’s International is well-known for being the highest prize pool in esports, but it is also renowned for its high production quality. Every year, thousands of fans tune in to Twitch, YouTube or their favorite costreamer to catch the best of Dota 2 esports in action. And the main stage usually starts with the TI opening ceremony … except that this year it didn’t. There was no TI11 opening ceremony.
... And it has not gone unnoticed.
What was the TI11 Opening ceremony?
If there was no TI11 opening ceremony, how did Valve celebrate the start of the Main stage?
They released a video.
And it's definitely worth a watch - bringing back memories from the past.
The playoffs opener video highlights key moments from previous TIs including NAVI’s victory in the first one. Dota 2 fans can catch a glimpse of OG’s victories, Team Spirit’s spirited run last year and more in the video. It ends with a view of the TI Aegis - up for grabs this year.
This year, there have been quite a few changes to TI this year. From Betting sponsors to production quality issues, most of the changes have not gone down well with the community. But TI is TI and it's bound to garner large number of viewers and excellent gameplay.
Community reacts to no TI
Change is not pleasant and needless to say, Dota 2 fans were quite annoyed with the lack of an opening ceremony at TI. Users tried to correlate the lack of TI opening ceremony to the problems in production quality.
However, amidst all the negativity, there were also several Dota 2 fans that are refocusing on the quality of games at TI. The TI11 meta continues to be one of the most entertaining and balanced metas in recent years.
Dota 2 fans can catch up with the TI11 live score, the playoffs and prize pool on esports.gg.
Will we get another TI opening ceremony?
It is possible. This year, there are two parts to TI. The second part - the Finals weekend - will take place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The Suntec Arena is quite a small arena with seating for just 300-400 attendees.
The TI11 Main stage kicks off at the Suntec Arena, Singapore on October 20. Sixteen teams battle it for glory and a sizable portion of the humongous prize pool. The Finals weekend will takeplace at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on October 29-30.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest Dota 2 news and updates.