Do you think DotA can be as successful as games like Warcraft 3 and Counter Strike? In what ways is DotA better than other e-Sports and what area's are lacking?

We believe it could be as successful as Warcraft 3 or Counter-Strike but it is too early to say so today. The strong advantage of DotA is that it is a game that comes from the community so it already has a large support. Its disadvantages are probably linked to the spectator issue and its youth in the world of esports.

DotA match times vary each game from 30 minutes to 1 hour, how does ESWC plan on tackling this issue?

We are already used to variable match lengths in other disciplines such as Warcraft 3, Counter-Strike or Trackmania. To be honest, there is much more “fear” to have from binary results (win/loss, no score) because it may easily lead to delicate draw situations in group stages and quickly translate into additional hours of tournament play. Anyway, this is not something new to us and we shouldn’t have much trouble in handling this correctly.

DotA maps change constantly, with new heroes, items and other balance fixes. Which version of the map are you leaning towards using, the latest version, or the league version?

We will use the stable map and follow the various updates. We might possibly use a specific stable map version if a major update took place too close of the event, but otherwise we will probably follow the stable map updates.

What do you feel DotA will bring to ESWC and how will it help your organization? Have you gotten a positive response from your decision?

We do first think about the whole e-sport project that we will be able to provide. We then think about the players and what they will be able to achieve in our competition. We eventually think about the game itself and the content it’ll provide.

Regarding the positive response, you should tell us!

Do you consider DotA spectator-friendly? How do you suggest tackling the issue of "complexity" in the game?