Team Liquid Win The International And The Biggest Prize In Esports
Published: Aug 14, 2017 - Last Updated: Apr 26, 2019
Team Liquid capped off a prolific run on The International’s main stage with a victory netting the squad more than $10 million in winnings.
Their championship win was emphatic, as they swept Newbee three games to none in the grand final of Dota 2’s The International. Team Liquid took home a $10,849,965 prize for their efforts, making each of the squad’s players overnight millionaires. The event played out in front of thousands of screaming fans at Seattle’s KeyArena.
A run like no other
While Team Liquid was dominant in the final, their title run was anything but easy. After becoming one of 16 teams to qualify for the main stage playoff, Team Liquid was defeated in the opening round by Invictus Gaming.
Still, captain Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi never wavered, keeping his teammates focused and resolute. Liquid went on a tear through the lower bracket, winning six consecutive series against the best competition the world had to offer.
Their run nearly ended before it began, as the side’s first lower bracket opponent, Team Secret, took the first game in their three-game series. Liquid stormed back with consecutive victories, and also prevailed against Virtus Pro and LGD Forever Young in spite of facing match point in both series.
The biggest prize in esports
The International has become famed for its massive prize pools.
Players purchase Compendiums from Dota 2 developer Valve. These contain various in-game goods, which players can later to use to trade and bet on games. This year’s Compendium also featured an in-game betting system through which players were able to win in-game points by betting a weekly allotment of tokens in their own games. Twenty-five percent of Compendium sales go toward the event’s prizes.
For several years, each edition of The International has broken the previous record for the biggest prize pool in all of esports. This year was no different. The International’s total prize pool finished this year at $24,770,557, most of which was contributed by fans. It also means Valve generated $74,311,671 in revenue from Compendium sales alone.
Image credit: Roman Kosolapov / Shutterstock.com
Since: July 24, 2017
