By Sagar V. Mankar 
Renowned tournament organizer BLAST has officially announced its entry into the Dota 2 esports scene.
BLAST is for hosting top-tier Counter-Strike events, including the prestigious BLAST Premier series.
Its excellent production quality and engaging viewer experiences have earned it a stellar reputation among CS:GO/CS2 fans.
Their most recent major event, the BLAST.tv Paris CS:GO Major in May 2023, was a record-breaking success with over $110 million sticker sales and Top3 in CS viewership.
While BLAST’s foray into Dota 2 is not entirely new – they organized a small online event called BLAST Bounty Hunt in 2020 – their upcoming events mark a more significant investment in the game.
According to their announcement, BLAST’s first major Dota 2 event will kick off in November 2024, with four additional events planned for 2025.
What Events Does BLAST Have Planned?
BLAST’s first Dota 2 event is slated for November 26 – December 1, 2024, and it will be a studio-based event.
Following the debut event, BLAST has four more Dota 2 tournaments lined up throughout 2025:
- February 4 – 9, 2025
- May 6 – 11, 2025
- October 14 – 19, 2025
- November 25 – 30, 2025
Details on formats, prize pools, and locations will be announced later this summer.
Why is BLAST Entering Dota 2 Now?
Last year Valve ended the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) after the 2023 season which is the highest tier of Dota 2 esports. (They promised to announce a new system in 2024 yet no update so far).
To fill the void, new organizer ESB and Qatar Esports Federation join hands in February 2024 to launch a $2.6m Dota 2 league this year.
BLAST’s entry capitalizes on this opportunity, aiming to bring a fresh level of production quality to Dota 2 events.
According to Andrew Haworth, VP of Ecosystems at Valve & Riot Games,
“We are delighted to be entering Dota 2 and have plans for BLAST to bring a new level of production and excitement that Dota fans haven’t seen before.”
With BLAST’s deep pockets and expertise, their foray into Dota 2 could inject fresh energy and resources into the game’s esports ecosystem, benefiting players, teams, and fans alike.
Source: BLAST.tv