N0tail on removing the DPC: "It's the best thing that happened in Dota 2"

Valve’s surprise announcement of the end of the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) shook the entire community. Many fans and players expressed their concerns about the situation. One of them being the back-to-back International champion, Johan “N0tail” Sundstein.

In a recent stream with Janne "Gorgc" Stefanovski, the former captain of OG shared his thoughts on the different regions of Dota 2, along with the abolishment of the DPC.

N0tail: "Right now, Europe is really, really insane"

N0tail relaxing. Credits: Twitter/@OG Esports

Recently, on Gorgc's co-streams, the legendary player dropped by expressing his thoughts on the situation.

As the duo watched the DreamLeague Season 21 series between BetBoom Team and Quest Esports, the streamer stumbled upon the question about the new DPC. Gorgc being himself, asked for N0tail to weigh in on opinions, "What do you think about the new DPC season, N0tail? They removed the DPC."

Knowing what Gorgc meant, Notail jokingly rephrased the question for a laugh before giving his thoughts.

After having a good laugh, N0tail commented that although Valve hasn’t announced anything yet for the new season, he is hopeful.

"I don’t know. They haven’t announced anything yet. On what’s to come and what the new invites are going to be like."

The legendary player then reflected on the pro scene before the DPC. He expressed his preference for the time before the DPC, as Valve has to put in more effort to review each team’s statistics and performance to carefully analyze which team deserves the invite to LANs and The International.

He then pointed out that there are multiple strong teams in some regions. However, in some, there aren't. "Right now, Europe is really, really insane. South America has maybe more teams than SouthEast Asia or whatever, or it’s getting close." Said N0tail.

The two-time International winners expressed his desire for a system that brings teams together from various regions, "I still think there should be some cross-correlation where you play a team that gone to The International or some Tier 1 team. I think they need to make a system for that and make it public."

He rounds the questions off by saying that the announcement is the best thing to happen to Dota 2.

"If you’re asking me what I think about the announcement, I think it’s the best that has happened to Dota."

Why Valve made the ultimate decision

In 2017, Valve introduced Dota 2 Pro Circuit (DPC) as a solution for inconsistent team invites. The new system had its pros and cons.

The International 2021 Champions- Team Spirit
Credits: Flickr

The Internationals 2018 and The Internationals 2019 were the most successful years of The DPC.

However, after the Covid pandemic, the scene started to decline. The only success Valve had was the 2020-2021 DPC Season.

After having a lackluster Internationals 2022, the viewership started to fall in the 2022-2023 DPC Season.

Valve eventually decided to end the Dota Pro Circuit as the viewership declined.

Time Before Dota Pro Circuit

Before the Dota Pro Circuit, if a team wins a Major, they’re guaranteed a TI direct invite.

Moreover, the Majors contained massive prize pools, which put a lot at stake for the participating teams. The Shanghai Major had an astounding three million dollar prize pool.

Other Pro Player Thoughts 

Different players have different feelings about the situation. While some fans and players rejoiced after the news, others thought it could have a dire impact on the professional scene.

In a recent DreamLeague Season 21 interview, Shopify Rebellion’s safelane player, Artour "天鸽" Babaev, also said he preferred the previous DPC format.

Quinn joins Gaimin Gladiators. Credits: Twitter/@GaiminGladiator

The back-to-back-to-back Major champion Quinn "Quinn" Callahan also welcomed the new Dota Pro Circuit change, “For the tier-one pro scene, having no DPC will probably be better. I think most people were sort of sick of the DPC.”

The call from Valve to ultimately end the Dota Pro Circuit had everyone wondering what their next move might be. With The International 2023 on the horizon, everyone is eagerly waiting for Valve’s announcement regarding the future of the professional scene.

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 Source: Flickr