What made you look into DotA and what was the decision process like? Was there something distinct that sparked your decision to consider it?

We looked into DotA because the game made its own name. It was made, played and supported by an active community. Nowadays it is very rare to find such genuine community that hasn’t been much influenced by marketing and we give a lot of credit to such phenomenon.

What were the main reasons you chose DotA for ESWC? Were there other games you considered? If so, why was DotA a better choice?

Before the tournament begins

Among the main reasons, there is an active community support behind the game, the fact that it has managed to successfully enter LAN parties (which is certainly not an easy task), the gameplay, and the positive feedback from several national partners. These are not the only reasons that pushed the game forward, but they all have played a role in our decision.

During our selection process, we evaluate many other games. It would be quite difficult to summarize why one game was chosen instead of another because there are many criteria that favor one or another game. In the end, DotA ended up as being one of the best option.

Did the fact that the finals are in the states impact your game selection? Where do you feel DotA thrives the most?
No. When we select a game, we consider it world-wide because its selection is meant for a world cup. While the game is quite popular in the United States, it is also popular in Europe and Asia, and has support from many other countries.

What kind of prize money can we expect for the DotA tournaments in ESWC?

The prize money hasn’t yet been defined since we are still in negotiation with several sponsors. We therefore cannot announce anything yet and we don’t want to announce a prize money that might be changed later.

Do you have any format specifics at this time? Will you always keep DotA in a 5v5 format or have you considered other tournament formats?

Soon to be VP CS.... and DotA

We’re aiming at a 5v5 format since it’s the most common format played in competition. If the community moved to another format, we would probably consider a change, but we currently have no plans to change this format.

What aspects of the game appealed to you, and what aspects don't you like? How do you plan on shaping DotA into the e-Sports model?

We like the movement behind the game, the fact the game is driven by its players, and the new style of game it proposes. We don’t like some spectator-unfriendly areas of the style, and we don’t like leavers !

As official discipline we will shape DotA into our ESWC e-sport model. This means that many tournaments will be organized around the world by our partners. They will give many opportunities for players to compete, to play with common rulesets, to battle in a ranking, for a qualification slot, for the first place in their country or even in the world.