I've just watched one of these matches live and it was so awesome!Announcing “The International”
August 1, 2011 - Dota Team
Dota 2 Championships: First Public Showing at gamescom
Valve today announced The International. This tournament will be the first time Dota 2 is shown in public, and will take place August 17th -21st at gamescom in Cologne, Germany.
The International features the 16 best Dota teams in the world competing in the Dota 2 Championships through a group stage, double elimination playoff format over the course of Cologne’s five-day trade show.
The tournament will be broadcast in four languages (Chinese, German, Russian, and English) free of charge. The winning team will receive $1 million.
“The International is the first public Dota 2 event and will give the tens of millions of gamers playing Dota around the world their first look at the new game,” said Gabe Newell, president and founder of Valve. “I have had the good fortune to watch the competitors as they prepare for the tournament, and the level of play is extraordinary.”
In addition to the cash prizes awarded by Valve, NVidia is providing all the hardware for the event.
Dota 2 will be available for the PC and Mac later this year.
http://blog.dota2.com/2011/08/announcin ... rnational/
I never actually played DotA, but I have played Demigod which is based on it. Not sure if I'll get Dota 2 because these days I can never find the time to play enough to be good enough in team games - even something like TF2 I often feel like I'm letting the side down.
But a DotA 2 tournament with live commentary still makes for an amazing spectator game. Who would ever watch something as boring as football when you've got this?