The International 2023 Will Not Have A Battle Pass

Dota 2 will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the game's public release. The developers of our beloved game have posted a blog reflecting on the game's history and what to expect in the future.

Dota 2 mentioned that updates have varied in scale and size over the years, intending to satisfy current players and bring in new ones. The developers have admitted that their primary focus has always been the Battle Pass for The International.

Most of Dota 2's Battle Passes have been very successful, as fans can get a handful of new content leading up to the annual celebration that is The International. However, the negative side is that the rest of the calendar year feels empty.

To combat this issue, the developers decided to try out a different approach, which was to spread the delivery of content throughout the year instead of dropping one big ball, the Battle Pass. This approach is why Dota 2 fans have gotten the New Frontiers update and the big 7.33 patch, even though The International and the Battle Pass aren't scheduled yet.

The blog also made a very interesting statement: "Most Dota players never buy the Battle Pass." This statement felt weird, as apart from Ti11, the prize pools of The International iterations have always continued to grow. Valve has decided to give players more free content, such as the new map, new items, dying to Tormentors, UI improvements, and more, shifting their previous approach of putting content behind a paywall in the form of the Battle Pass.

The developers now believe that releasing gameplay content such as the New Frontiers update instead of putting their complete focus on releasing a bunch of cosmetics in the Battle Pass is the right long-term path for Dota 2 to grow.

Valve thinks the best approach is to continue building a wide variety of content and features for the game, which will be distributed throughout the year rather than all at once when the Battle Pass arrives.

The Dota 2 team is working hard to ensure that this year's TI will be successful and has hinted at a TI-themed update sometime in September, and the most notable change is that there will not be a Battle Pass for this year's TI.

Do you agree with Valve's new strategy, or do you think otherwise?