- Malaysia will play host to the very first Dota 2 Major for the Dota Pro Circuit 2018/2019 season.
- The Kuala Lumpur Major will be held from 16 to 18 November at Axiata Arena where 16 qualified teams will compete for a share of the Major’s USD1 million prize pool.
After so many years of being involved in the Dota 2 scene and being so close to winning The International 2018, Malaysians now have something to shout about as the first Major for the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) 2018/2019 season will be officially held at our very own backyard—Kuala Lumpur!
Fun fact: For those who don’t know what a Major/Minor is, basically they are multiple tournaments supported by Valve where players will be awarded qualifying points based on what placing they get. Points will be the sole criteria for invitations to The International and points will be awarded based on the total prize pool of a tournament, with Majors giving more points per prize pool dollar.
The Kuala Lumpur Major, which will be held from 16 to 18 November at Axiata Arena, is supported by the Ministry of Youth & Sports Council of Malaysia. The tournament will see a total of 16 international professional teams battling it out for a total prize pool of USD1 million.
Southeast Asia’s Potential
Malaysia is touted as one of the “Big 6” e-sports nations in Southeast Asia that accounts for over 98% of e-sports enthusiasts in the region.
“Southeast Asia is the fastest growing region for e-sports, with the number of e-sports enthusiasts expected to double to 19.8 million in 2019, from 9.5 million in 2016. Malaysia has the potential to be the region’s e-sports hub because our youths are passionate about e-sports,” said Malaysia Youth and Sports Minister, YB Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman during the launch of the event.
“Therefore, holding an international tournament such as the Kuala Lumpur Major is significant as it provides opportunities for our e-sports industry to be on par with the global best,” YB Syed Saddiq added.
As e-sports will become a competitive sport in the 2022 Asian Games, the Ministry of Youth and Sports will be working closely with e-sports organisations to accelerate the development of e-sports in Malaysia.
Free For All
However, the DPC 2018/2019 season will see a reduction of Majors and Minors as both will be paired together and there will be no direct invites too. For this season there will only be 5 Majors and 5 Minors.
Major Regionals will be held first, and teams who do not make it through may then join the Minor qualifiers a few days afterwards. The Minor’s main event will precede the Major’s, with the winner of each Minor automatically invited to join the Major it is paired with.
For the 2018/2019 season, even The International winners will have to go through Regional Qualifiers for every DPC event they hope to attend. Furthermore, all teams who attend DPC events will earn DPC Points, not only top 4, as was the case in the 2017/2018 season.
Valve also released a statement stating that, “All Minors must feature at least eight teams, with a minimum of one qualifier per region. Majors must have at least sixteen teams, with at least two qualifiers per region. All teams that play in a Minor or Major will earn DPC points. Teams participating in the Minors will be required to work on the Visa application in advance of the tournament, in order to be able to make the Major if they win.”
So even though Malaysia will play host to the first Major event, we won’t get a direct invite for it. Our players and teams will have to fight just like everyone for a spot in it.
Get Ready For The Biggest Dota 2 Event In Malaysia
The Kuala Lumpur Major will be the second Major held in Southeast Asia after the Manila Major in 2016.
The event will run from Nov 9-18, with the final three days taking place at Kuala Lumpur’s 16,000-seat Axiata Arena. 16 teams qualified will compete for a share of the Major’s USD1 million prize pool. Qualifiers will begin throughout the world on September 16. Official sponsors for the event thus far include U Mobile, HyperX, KFC Delivery, Predator, and Intel.
The 3-day event is priced from RM180 (Ancient Pass), RM330 (Divine Pass) and RM600 (Immortal Pass). Which is pretty affordable for the average Malaysian as this is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to see your favourite players battling it out.
- If you would like to know more about the Kuala Lumpur Major and get your tickets, check out their website here.
Feature Image Credit: The Kuala Lumpur Major
