According to reports from multiple sources, Valve has declined to host the biggest esports tournament in the world – The International 10 – in Shanghai, China after an offer from Perfect World and the Shanghai Government.
Soon after Dota 2 caster Kyle Freedman’s post on Medium where he expressed his dissatisfaction with Valve’s handling of the pro Dota 2 scene went viral, it was translated by Team Aster CEO Zhili Guo and published in the Chinese platform Weibo. It didn’t long for the post to gain traction on Weibo, and further criticism started flowing against Valve from the Chinese player base.
Following the incident, Perfect World reportedly got in talks with Valve to organize TI10 in Shanghai, China, to which the latter declined.
Zhou “Haitao” Lingxiang, co-founder of Imba TV released a statement confirming the same, “From April to May, Perfect World CEO Hong Xiao reached out to Valve and asked if Valve is willing to move The International 2020 to Shanghai, and the Shanghai government expressed full support for the event. However, Valve refused this proposal,” Lingxiang claimed on his Weibo.
Pan “RURU” Jie, CEO of LGD, also confirmed the news of the Shanghai government inviting Valve to host the upcoming TI in China. ”The Shanghai government was willing to support The International 2020 at the same level as the 2020 League of Legends World Championship,” Jie said.
The International has continued holding its place as the tournament with the largest prize pool in esports history for many years in a row, with the total prize money of TI10 surpassing the mark of $40 Million only ten minutes before the conclusion of this year’s Battle Pass.
