TI12 Prize Pool: The International 2023 Prize Pool & History

The Dota 2 TI12 prize pool is one of many factors which make the yearly event one of the most prestigious and iconic events in all of esports. Consistently raising the bar every year, the TI 2023 prize pool looks to follow suit – read on for the latest regarding the International 2023 prize pool below.

What is the Dota TI12 prize pool?

While the contribution from crowd-funding remains unclear in 2023, Valve’s contribution has been made public.

For a long time, Valve has contributed a starting prize pool of $1,600,000 to get the ball rolling. For The International 2023, Valve is reportedly raising this starting prize pool with a new high of $3,000,000.

Otherwise, at the time of writing, the final Dota 2 prize pool 2023 is yet to be confirmed – once it is we’ll offer an update. If we had to guess, the TI12 prize pool will likely sit at a similar figure to last year and not be the most impressive entry in the TI prize pool history.

What is worth noting is that Dota 2 TI teams are some of the largest teams in the world and require funding from winnings to keep running. The TI11 prize pool might have been smaller than the previous year’s, but this did not deter the teams’ performance and the energy surrounding The International event – let’s see how the prize adds up for TI12!

TI Prize Pool History – The X Factor

The TI 2023 prize pool rewards the very best Dota 2 teams in the world, who’ve worked all year long to have a shot at claiming the Aegis of Champions in front of the entire globe. It’s this TI12 prize pool which contributes to such electric competition from the Dota 2 TI teams.

Indeed, the massive prize pool draws in viewers from all across the world, with ranging experience in competitive Dota 2. All of these viewers, both online and offline at the venue, hold their breaths for the famous “Cinderella moments”  where unpopular teams subvert bettors and esports predictors’ expectations to crush the Dota 2 TI favorites to win the tournament – learn more with our Dota 2 TI Power Rankings. 

Apart from acting as a head-turner, the prize pool itself is a celebration of the Dota 2 community coming together and for the most part, willfully contributing to this prize pool. Though this system is changing for the TI 2023 prize pool as explained below.

Also, for those unaware, TI10 marked a historic achievement as a $40,000,000 prize pool was gathered, making it the largest prize pool ever in esports to this day.

So, let’s see how prize pools have developed since the first The International event, find out what the source of these prize pools is and what the expected figure for the TI12 prize pool is.

The International Prize Pool Over the Years

Dota 2 TI’s prize pools were not always this large. The first TI that Natus Vincere won, a CIS juggernaut, was $1.6 million.

The prize pool remained at a similar point for all the following TIs until TI4, where the Dota 2 TI prize pool shot up substantially to $10.9 million, in a drastic moment for the TI prize pool history. It eventually reached $40 million in the Dota 2 TI in 2021.

Here’s a quick look at the TI prize pool history:

What is the source of Dota 2’s The International prize pool?

A good prize pool is critical to organizing an esports tournament, and the Dota 2 TI winners won’t miss out! Without an attractive prize pool, the competition may not be as fierce or, potentially, as interesting! Less interesting matches can then lead to a declining fanbase.

Dota 2 TI’s prize pool keeps the competition hot, giving high stakes for teams to fight over. The source of Dota 2 The International’s prize pool has changed over the years. 

As mentioned, the base prize pool was once $1.6 million, with all the funds being provided directly by Valve.

In 2014, Valve then introduced a new system that allowed fans to contribute to the Dota 2 The International prize pool. Specifically, when players of Dota 2 purchased the dedicated battle pass, a percentage of the total battle pass funds went to the prize pool. 

This form of crowdfunding, together with other tactics, was exceptionally successful in the first few years, allowing fans the opportunity to break records and give back to the competitive scene with unwavering determination. The scale of the prize pool has made Dota The International betting one of the hottest markets for esports betting entertainment.

As a result, the Dota 2 The International prize pool exploded with the most recent TI Battle Pass released in 2022.

Prize Pool Changes in 2023

For the TI12 prize pool, things are changing. Indeed, in a press release, Valve has revealed that the TI 2023 prize pool will not involve contributions from a dedicated battle pass. Here’s what Valve had to say in a June 2023 press release:

“The update will still contribute directly to the prize pool, with a focus on the event, the players, and the games, but new cosmetic items won’t play a notable part. This is a significant change from the last few years, so to make it clear that we’re shifting focus towards the event and away from the giant reward line of cosmetics, we’re intentionally not calling this update a Battle Pass.”

However, the good news (albeit unofficial) is that Valve is reportedly upping the starting prize pool.

Image Credits: Valve