Relive The Failings Of Valve’s Dota 2 Event In One Video

Valve’s US$3 million Dota 2 event in Shanghai has finally come to a close. That’s undoubtedly no small relief to the developer given that it teetered on the brink of being a total disaster. Things eventually got back on track, but the event will be remembered more for its failings than the matches played.

But what if you missed out on all the schadenfreude?

[credit provider=”Dota2.com.cn” url=”http://img.dota2.com.cn/maps/48/69/4869b1ea5d3191086901e115d5a568e41457033620.jpg”]

Given that there was so much material to work with — James “2GD” Harding’s firing, countless production errors, complaints on Twitter and Instagram from players, matches running so long overtime that spectators had to leave, and poor organisation across the board — it was inevitable that someone would make a parody of it.

Thing is, so many things went wrong that it barely requires riffing. You just have to show the footage as-is. Which is what the below video basically does.

There are some bright things to come of the Shanghai major though: Dota 2’s player count surged to an all-time high, perhaps proving once again that any publicity is good publicity. Valve also posted a public apology of sorts, saying that the execution and production was “very disappointing”.

Dota fans and professional players alike have high expectations for a Major event—expectations that we share—and it is ultimately our responsibility to make sure those expectations are met and exceeded. A Dota Major should be a celebration of the amazing community that shepherded the game from humble origins to the global passion it has become. Disappointment should come from the elimination of a favourite team in a hard-fought match, not from the experience of just trying to watch a game you love. With that in mind, we will be increasing our involvement moving forward to ensure that future events deliver a high-quality experience.

As long as future events don’t have opening ceremonies as awful as Shanghai’s, fans will probably be thrilled. If you missed how awful that was (and wanted a little more context for above), that’s below too.