The International 10 (TI10) prize pool has surpassed $25M USD, with the recent Dota 2 Battle Pass level bundle sale having raised the total tournament winnings by a single-day record of $4M.
As shown by the Dota 2 Prize Pool Tracker, as of day 37 since release the current total is $6.2M and 34.7% higher than at this point last year. On day 30, the prize pool jumped from $16M to $20M, higher than any other single day increase (barring the initial day of sale for the Battle Pass) in its seven year history.
The Battle Pass is an annual in-game item and content pack for Dota 2, with which players can play, level up, and earn a bounty of mostly digital rewards. Players can start at level one for $9.99, and either progress through gameplay or by buying extra levels. Of the total sales, 25% are siphoned off to the The International prize pool, which begins at $1.6M (supplied by Dota 2’s publisher, Valve Corporation), and last year reached a record total of $34M.
On June 24 Valve introduced a 120 level bundle for sale at $29.99, which the publisher claims represents a 75% saving. For the first month, levels were sold in bundles of 50 at $29.35, or 100 for $44.99. This sale boosted the prize pool by $8M in the last week alone, and while initially made available only until June 24, was extended until the end of July 2.
It should be noted that the discounted Battle Level bundle also includes a set of Immortal Treasures, and are limited to two per Steam account. More Battle Level bundles will be made available for the duration of the Battle Pass’ availability, and there are also “Immortal Treasure” collections to boost the pace of the prize pool increase.
In addition, today marks the release of the Collector’s Cache, a new treasure collection created from submitted artwork (voted for by fans). Costing $2.49, Unboxing 15 treasures will automatically grant 36 Battle Levels, and unwanted treasures can be recycled for two levels. The Cache will only be on sale for 30 days.
As previously reported, the TI10 prize pool has narrowly hovered above the growth rate of last year, potentially due to the recession and socioeconomic damage created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament itself has been delayed to an unspecified date—but there is no indication yet that the Battle Pass’ availability will be extended as a result.
