The International prize pool is a thing that always has fans and the scene talking -- for good or for bad.
In the world of esports, few events capture the imagination and fervor of fans quite like The International. Known not just for its high-stakes competition but also for its jaw-dropping prize pools, TI has set records year after year, becoming the pinnacle of Dota 2’s competitive scene. From its humble beginnings in 2011, where a groundbreaking $1.6 million was on the line, to the staggering $40 million in 2021, the evolution of TI's prize pool has been nothing short of legendary.
But as we look back on this journey, there's a noticeable shift in the last two years—one that has left many in the community scratching their heads. What once seemed like an unstoppable upward trajectory has recently stumbled, with the prize pool seeing a dramatic decline.
With just one day for the action to unfold for The International 2024, let's take a quick look at the highs and lows of The International’s prize pool, year by year, including the milestones and the stories behind them.
From records shattered to the recent downturn, everyone's still talking about the prize pools of The International.
The International 1 in 2011 Prize Pool
$1,600,000
This was the biggest prize pool of any esports tournament at the time. It was such a steep amount that several Chinese teams didn't participate, convinced it wasn't real.
NAVI defeated EHOME in the Grand Finals 3:1 and took home $1,000,000 in prize money – a staggering amount for any team.
The International 2 in 2012 Prize Pool
$1,600,000
By the time The International 2 had come around, Dota 2 had already started to create quite a lot of hype and was in swift meta-development. The overall atmosphere at TI2 was much more classy, with a well-established and contained atmosphere with real production and light shows -the event had definitely stepped up a level. It was an event worthy of boasting such a large sum of money.
The International 3 in 2013 Prize Pool
$2,874,381
This was the year that introduced the compendium and crowdfunding. Valve took a new approach towards the tournaments, by increasing their base prize pool through crowdfunding, raising monetary contributions from large key audiences. The concept, as applied to esports, was first introduced by the company for The International 3, in 2013, with the release of the virtual “compendium”. The starting prize pool was $1,600,000, and Valve raised an additional $1,374,381 through the sales to the community.
This had set the standard for the years to follow. The base prize amount was fixed at $1,600,000 and then 25% of all compendium/battlepass sales went to the final prize total.
The International 4 in 2014 Prize Pool
$10,930,698
The Dota 2 community contributed with a staggering $9,331,105 to swell the initial $1.6 million base prize pool of The International 4, making the total prize pool of almost $11 million the largest in esports history up until that time.
The International 5 in 2015 Prize Pool
$18,429,613
The prize pool surpassed all other esports events and even some traditional sporting events. The TI5 prize pool continued to soar high above any other esports event and has even surpassed the prize funds of some well-known traditional sporting events, such as the Cricket World Cup, The Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, and others.
With an astounding total of over $18,000,000, the TI5 prize pool had outpaced the combined prize funds of all previous four Internationals - $17,005,079.
The TI5 prize pool had also exceeded the top three biggest Dota 2 purses until that time combined: TI3 ($2,874,381), TI4 ($10,930,698), and Dota 2 Asian Championships ($3,057,519), with a combined total of $16,862,598.
The International 6 in 2016 Prize Pool
$20,770,460
With a contribution of $19,170,460 added to the prize pool fund, TI6 became another record breaker. Thanks to such an extensive prize pool, Wings Gaming ultimately received a certificate from the Guinness Book of World Records for winning the largest single prize in esports – $9,139,002.
The International 7 in 2017 Prize Pool
$24,787,916
While the jump wasn't as staggering in prize pool, it clearly continued to climb, adding hype to the event.
The International 8 in 2018 Prize Pool
$25,532,177
The prize pool continued to surpass previous years and all other esports events even if it seemed ‘minimal’ of an increase.
The International 9 in 2019 Prize Pool
$34,330,068
Fortnite thought it would steal the spot for largest prize pool of all time when it announced a thirty million dollar prize pool for their World Cup — but no. The International 9 prize pool surged past thanks to the fans, and once continued to maintain the claim as the largest prize pool in esports history!
The International 10 in 2021 Prize Pool
$40,018,195
It seemed that the sky was the limit in terms of the height the prize pool would reach. Team Spirit went from underdogs to taking home the Aegis and a whopping $18.21 million for first place – nearly as much as the entire prize pool for TI5 for themselves.
The International 11 in 2022 Prize Pool
$18,930,775
The International 2022 (TI11) Battle Pass sales went slower than the most pessimistic expectations. A month after the Battle Pass was released, the TI11 prize pool trailed behind the four previous TI’s prize pools at the same number of days into the Battle Pass release.
Dota 2’s community's lack of interest in contributing was likely tied to the many features labeled ‘coming soon’ in the Battle Pass. Besides the fact that the BP was released significantly later than usual, it was also welcomed with criticism from the community for its lack of features and the new format that split the Battle Pass into two parts. The second part of the 2022 Battle Pass was released after the TI11 was over, on the 3rd of November and although it looked more enticing in terms of content, it didn't contribute to TI at all.
The International 12 in 2023 Prize Pool
$3,380,455
Released only three weeks before the event, TI12 Compendium became the slowest TI prize pool raise since 2013.
Valve switched gears this year and instead of releasing a full Battle Pass months in advance of The International to boost the prize pool, they went with a small Compendium that features no shiny cosmetics and no goals for the community to grind by either spending long hours in the game or by spending a considerable amount of money.
TI12 Compendium was created “to elevate the players, the teams, and the artistry that is high-level Dota played at The International,” said Valve when they released it. The immediate effect of a bare update focused on stickers and an alloy Aegis replica that could be unlocked at level 300 was reflected in the prize pool.
The International 13 in 2024 Prize Pool
$2,370,725 (and counting)
The International 2024 Compendium was released with less than two weeks before the big event. Much like last year’s edition, the Compendium in-game rewards are limited to emoticons, teleport effects, voice lines, a TI-themed HUD skin, loading screens, team logo and player stickers. The big prize in the TI13 Compendium is the Collector’s Aegis replica.
For the first time, not even $1 million has been added to the prize pool by fan contribution, showing that fans aren't really buying it.
At the time of writing, this year's prize pool is the lowest since the compendium and crowdfunding was introduced in 2013.
The International 2024 (TI13)
The International 2024 is set to take place in Copenhagen, Denmark in September at the Royal Arena. This will mark the second time The International is returning to Europe after TI1, but the first time when, hopefully, fans will be able to attend. The first time Valve tried to bring its most prestigious tournament back to Europe was in 2020 when the pandemic hit the world. TI10 was postponed for 2021 and moved from Sweden to Romania. Although tickets were sold, a new wave of coronavirus forced Valve to refund all tickets and hold the tournament in an empty stadium in Bucharest. Since then, TI moved to Singapore in 2022 and last year it returned home, to Seattle.
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