No more Battle Pass in Dota 2? Valve is preparing a major revamp of the game

On the night of June 20, Valve released one of the most controversial and cryptic statements in Dota 2 history. On the company's blog on the game's website there was a post titled "Lessons from the past, a look into the future", and it seems that Valve hinted at a structural change of its brainchild.

We bring you the full text of the statement Dota 2 developers, and below we tell you what ѕtunet with Dota 2, professional scene and content content.

Lessons from the past, a look to the future

The tenth anniversary of full Dota 2 release is approaching (yes, we're preparing some The International ereader, and no, we definitely won't make it by the July 9 date on Steam). A decade is an impressive amount of time, and while it's important to look back, it's even more important to see how we approach the coming ten years. We'll take this opportunity to reflect on Dota's long history of updates, share our conclusions, and talk about how lessons learned will help make the game even better in the decade ahead.

The Past

Early updates varied in form and scope, adding everything from heroes and game modes to accessories and client features to Dota 2. These updates differed in subtle ways but all had the same goal: to create a new and exciting experience for those already playing, as well as attract new players. Some updates were successful ("Rise of Darkness" 2012), some not so much ("Rise of Darkness" 2013). We drew conclusions and continued to experiment.

In 2013, we saw how much fun visitors to The International were having, and thought: what if even those who weren't attending in person could participate in the fun? So we created a digital tournament guide and called it The International Interactive Compendium.

Over the years, the compendium grew and eventually became an action pass with a lineup of rewards and a variety of content. New game modes, features, accessories, you name it - the Combat Pass gradually absorbed what was once an exciting thematic update, minigame, or Arcana item.

The nature of a combat pass is such that it can include almost anything we develop for the game over the course of a year. And so it happened: the last few years of the Combat Pass season were incredibly exciting, but the rest of the year seemed boring in comparison.

The Present

Last year we started to wonder: does the game benefit from having a single key point on which all the content release is tied? In isolation, each of our decisions seemed right: the combat pass itself raised the importance of the included rewards, so there were more and more of them. As a result, one part of the year was full of innovations, but we almost couldn't devote the time to exciting and important content that couldn't be placed on the battle pass reward line.

Realising this, at the start of the year we decided to experiment: to divert some of the resources we normally used for Battle Pass to more risky innovations that didn't fit into its format. And while we're still working on future updates, the first one - New Horizons with game version 7.33 - has already been released. And it would look different if we were busy with content for the combat pass.

Most Dota players don't buy the pass and don't get its rewards. At the same time, every player has the opportunity to explore a new map, try new items, and accidentally die by Terrorizer. Each player benefits from the improved The International interface and new client features. The community response to New Horizons has convinced us that in the long run it will be better for both the game and the players if we work less on cosmetic rewards for combat passes and more on a variety of fun updates.

The Future

We'll continue the path we started with New Horizons. Right now we're working on features and content that we'll be adding to the game in a variety of ways. Throughout the year we'll be releasing cosmetic items as before, but we'll also introduce a variety of updates available to all players.

We understand that this affects The International. We still love this tournament and are looking forward to it as organizers and visitors and we're already working hard on the theme update which will be released in September. As always it will directly boost the prize pool and be focused on the event, the players and the matches, but the new cosmetic items will not play a big part in it. To signify a significant change from previous years and to show that the focus is on the tournament and not a giant line of cosmetic rewards, we will deliberately not refer to this update as a "battle pass".

We can't wait to see what the future holds for Dota and what these changes will allow us to do. We're already working on the next updates and lots of cosmetic items - and we're negotiating the venue for The International 2024. By removing the cycle of updates and content releases from the time and structure of combat skips, we can return to the format we know best: exploring all sorts of ideas that we'll explore with you.

Valve will remove the Combat Pass from the game, but it's not all that clear-cut

The key message of the post: "Battle Pass season was incredibly exciting, but the rest of the year seemed bland in comparison." In fact, Valve is preparing to abandon the Battle Pass concept in Dota 2, but will replace it with something else: "By removing the update and content release cycle from the timeline and structure of the Battle Pass, we can return to the format we are most familiar with - exploring all sorts of ideas with you."

Simply put, Valve are planning to redesign the Battle Pass concept. Obviously, scrapping the Battle Pass idea is tantamount to shooting yourself in the knee, but you'll also have to accept its stagnation: in recent years BP has not been bringing in the same profits as before, and the prize pool of The International 2022 is proof of that.

All in all, a big change is coming, but don't go to extremes. The Combat Pass will probably get a modified format and I think we know which one.

Seasons are ideal for Dota 2

In their post Valve stated bluntly that the periods when there is no Battle Pass in Dota 2 look boring, and that they also want to implement new ideas in the game. Well, the answer is obvious - Dota 2 needs seasons, similar to what we see in other competitive disciplines such as LoL and VALORANT. This scheme kills a few birds with one stone:

• Firstly, enough content and balance. No need to release global patches like "New Horizons" every year and a half, enough to give a dose of new mechanics every few months, which later dilute with new and so on around the circle.
• Secondly, a temporary BP. It will fill up the game and keep players' attention between Major A's and major events. It's easy to implement, and the idea is not new: they already do so in Fortnite, Apex, CoD and other games. Here, by the way, you can get a monetary gain: add a premium version of BP, part of the money from its sales goes into the tournament prize fund. Arm yourselves, Valve.
• Finally, with the introduction of seasons in Dota 2, Valve may solve the perennial problem of a certain caste of players - the Dota 2 ranking system. Especially since they've already begun working on its structural changes with the release of the New Horizons patch and the addition of the Glicko system to the game.

At the beginning of each new season, players' rankings are reset to zero and they are sent off for calibration. This approach will give players extra motivation to grind PTS and will be more revealing.

Seems like a perfect recipe for game development. And then there's the point about the competition scene.

Fewer zeros in The International prize pool - more money throughout the year

The main, and perhaps only, downside of The International is the huge prize pool. In terms of one tournament a year, this is fine: the huge numbers grab the attention of even those far removed from professional Dota and make The International heresy to watch the competition at The International. However, beneath the screen of elitism lies an underlying problem: anything that isn't The International is no longer quoted.

Who The International is heresy to sweat for a notional $500,000 at Major e when winning a major tournament is financially comparable to getting into the top 16 of The International. Valve seems to understand the dilemma and after redesigning the Battle Pass concept, the flagship event in Dota 2 will "deflate" significantly. But that's not a bad thing.

By freeing players and Dota 2 fans from the impact of chimerical prize money at The International, you can keep their The International yeres interested in Dota 2 all year long. After all, everything will be there for it: a premium Battle Pass boosts the price pool of an individual tournament, and its content component motivates players to play and spend in the game. A win-win situation, no less.

The output is an evenly competitive season with adequate prizes for the intermediate stages before The International and a lively game all year round, not just a few months into the season.

Don't be afraid of change

We live in an age where you have to fight for customer attention, and often it's an all-out fight. E-Sports and in particular Dota 2 should not and cannot be an exception. The game is about to change dramatically and I'm glad Valve are doing something about it.

Maybe their ideas are radically different from the above and we will get something radically different in the output, but the main thing is that we will get it. Dota 2 is alive, it's being developed and that's all that matters.

Don't miss out on the excitement! Explore our article on Coin Master, featuring the buzzworthy topic of Coin Master free spins 2024 and unlock a new dimension of gameplay.