Ex-CEO of HellRaisers: “Dota 2 will die as soon as TI ceases to exist”

Alexei 'Magician' Slabukhin, the former CEO of the HellRaisers esports organization, is dissatisfied with Valve 's work in relation to his MOBA game. According to him, the Dota 2 competitive scene could have a more thoughtful model and more support from its developers. In addition, he highlighted the influence of The International on the discipline in a special way and “officially announced” the imminent death of Dota 2 in the event of the cancellation of this annual tournament, which fuels interest in the game from Valve.

Alexey Slabukhin said the following in his Telegram channel:

I officially declare - Dota 2 will die as soon as TI ceases to exist

I watched for a very long time and held on not to write this post. The level of indifference, communication and organization from Valve is already going through the roof. Previously, I defended the company, because I thought that smart people who knew how to manage were sitting there. But this season has changed everything.

Slabukhin drew attention to the financial model of the Dota 2 professional scene, and also criticized the replacement of the major with regional online tournaments.

According to Magician, Valve's financial model leaves much to be desired, and replacing the Major tournament with regional finals is not the best decision from Dota 2 developers:

Each company has the concepts of budgeting and financial planning, where you can clearly and specifically see the company's expenses and income. But this is not about Dota 2. The first bell was when all clubs received payments for stickers. When I saw the amounts, I was surprised, but then when I found out that everyone in the CIS received a little more, I was surprised. The second bell is that in the new season they did not think to change the prize money somehow. I thought last year was to break in the system, but they did not change it financially. The third bell is the cancellation of the Major. The teams are trying, fighting, and in the end they say in response "We'll just hold MORE tournaments online and add slots to TI". Will it help them in any way? I doubt.

Alexey Slabukhin noted that most organizations have chosen the path of patience and the scene is in a state of stagnation. He suggests that this will continue until such time as the eSports clubs start a revolution. Otherwise, interest in Dota 2 may completely fade over time:

And what about all the players and clubs? Be patient, unfortunately. How many times did Valve make unpopular decisions and they were all quietly "eaten up" by us. There was a situation where clubs wanted to make a revolution and get their share of the pie during COVID-19. This was the period when Valve canceled all tournaments. Yes, the clubs got what they wanted. Exactly until the moment when Valve returned with the league format and everyone silently began to play. No choice. Either you play or you leave. For clubs - to lose a high share of views. For players, it means losing opportunities and income, since you can move from Dota 2 to LoL at most. And in the CIS it is not very developed.

Summarizing, I will say - I see 2 outcomes. Either there will be a revolution and patience will burst, or the game will slowly die and perhaps only then will Valve move and start negotiations with the clubs.

Commentator Rustam 'Adekvat' Mavlyutov questioned the statements of the former CEO of HellRaisers. According to Mavlyutov, Alexey is one of those experts who regularly predict that Dota 2 will go into oblivion:

Oh right on time. Once every 3 months, another expert face steadily pops up and predicts the death of Dota 2. For the last 6 years, for sure, we are waiting.

Many commentators and analysts to this day remain dissatisfied with Valve's actions and believe that The International with titanic prize funds is the only reason why Dota 2 players do not leave the scene, and a new audience comes to the world of this discipline.