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ESL to host DOTA 2 Major in Malaysia this August

The largest Dota 2 tournaments often have prize pools totaling millions of dollars. Shown here is The International 2018, a $25 million tournament hosted at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver., tags: esl malaysia - CC BY-SA

A DOTA 2 professional competition is coming to Malaysia this year in August. ESL has announced that the country has been selected to host ESL One Malaysia 2022, a non-DOTA Pro Circuit Tournament.

After four years of hiatus since the 2018 ESL One Genting, DOTA 2 pro-action will begin in Malaysia shortly after the DOTA Pro Circuit finishes.

“WE’RE BACK. It’s been 4 long years, but we’re returning to the Arena of Stars at Resorts World Genting with #ESLOne Malaysia 2022!” ESL said in a post.

Malaysia to host DOTA 2 tournament

In a press release, ESL General Manager for Game Management Artem Bykov said that Malaysia had “a special place” after demonstrating success in hosting ESL One in Genting.

“When we hosted ESL One in Genting back in 2017 and 2018, the fans brought along an amazing atmosphere and the place has kept a special place in our hearts ever since,” Bykov said.

ESL One Malaysia will be conducted at the Arena of Star in Genting Highlands. The tournament has been scheduled to run for almost a week, from August 23-28.

There will be 12 teams competing for a total prize pool of $400,000. However, the details regarding each team participating in the tournament are not available at the moment. Reportedly, seven teams will receive a direct invitation, while the other five spots have been reserved for China, Southeast Asia, North America, South America, and Europe.

Since all of the DOTA 2’s Majors were held mostly across Europe and America, with the last non-DPC Major being held back in August last year, ESL One Malaysia 2022 is understandably highly anticipated by South East Asian enthusiasts. Additionally, this year’s ESL Malaysia will employ a LAN format similar to the 2019 ESL One Hamburg.

According to Dot Esports’ Cale Michael, ESL One Malaysia will use ESL’s standard bracket format, featuring a robin round in the group stage, where only eight teams will proceed to the playoffs on August 26. Going on forward is the usual double-elimination and best-of-three contest. Meanwhile, the grand finals will have a best-of-five.

ESL Asia-Japan Senior Vice President Nick Vanzetti said that there had not been enough live events in the region despite a tremendous growth of online video games.

“Esports across South East Asia has seen enormous growth online in the last two years, during a time when live events haven’t been possible in the region,” Vanzetti said. “It’s exciting to finally be able to offer fans throughout the region the ability to connect in-person again, as we return to stadium-scale esports events with ESL One Malaysia.”

Reportedly, more details will be made available by ESL this summer as the DPC progresses. Since ESL Malaysia will be held ahead of the International 11 qualifiers in Singapore in October, a few teams will likely prioritize The International 11 over ESL Malaysia.

Regardless, this year is a great year for DOTA 2 fans in SEA, thanks to the scheduled non-DPC and TI 11. The tickets for ESL Malaysia will be made available on June 10, with prices ranging from $16 to around $90.