Dota 2’s The International used to set prize pool records every year. This trend ended in 2022, and Valve took it a step further this year by replacing the battle pass with a Compendium. This change significantly impacted TI 2023’s prize pool and seemingly dampened the tournament’s magic, leading Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev to label it as the worst tournament of the year.
Following TI 2023’s Road to The International, 9Pandas placed third in the groups to survive the first stage. RAMZES answered a few questions regarding the tournament on 9Pandas’ YouTube channel.
According to Escorenews’ translation of the vlog, RAMZES expressed his dissatisfaction, stating that TI 2023 failed to capture the essence of The International.
“Everything is just kinda off,” RAMZES said. “This year, we had many times better events. And all the tournaments I competed in 2023 were better.”
Having played at three TIs before, RAMZES competed in the event in 2017, 2018, and 2019, when its prize pool repeatedly broke records.
However, the prize pool isn’t the only missing element in 2023. Given the Compendium’s lack of cosmetics and interactive game modes, the illusion of “Dota Christmas” was shattered.
As a combined result, the hype levels surrounding the tournament decreased drastically since it also lost its title of the “highest paying Dota 2 event of the year” to Riyadh Masters. Alexey “Solo” Berezin echoed RAMZES’ sentiments, labeling TI 2023 as a “chill and fun tournament.”
The International 2023’s prize pool barely broke above $3 million today, and it’s unlikely to reach $5 million as the growth curve has been flatlining after the disappointing Compendium 2023 update. Considering Dota TV issues ruined core parts of the Compendium during the first two group stage days, Valve’s TI12 battle pass replacement was considered disrespectful to Dota 2 players by many.
Even if it feels like just another tournament, 9Pandas remains determined to win it. They are set to face regional rivals, BetBoom Team, today at 3 pm CT.
