Due to increase in the Covid rates in Romania and new local restrictions in Bucharest, Valve has taken the decision to go ahead with TI10 without crowds.
The International is the biggest celebration of Dota 2 there is, and one of the things that makes it so are the passionate Dota 2 enthusiasts in the stadium, cheering for their favorite teams. Go back to the highlights of any past TI, and the crowd will have a significant presence in the background.
For the first time in the history of The International, the cheer in the background will be absent, as Valve has made the decision to refund the TI10 tickets and go ahead with the event without any crowds in the stands. The decision comes after the Covid rates in Romania rose in the past few days, along with the fact that players from Invictus Gaming and Team Aster recently tested positive for Covid.
Both DPC Majors were played without crowds. It finally seemed that things were getting back to normal, and TI10 would be played in the same spirit all LAN events are meant to be played in, until things started taking a turn for the worse. Valve's statement reads:
We have been carefully evaluating the continued rise of Covid rates in Romania, as well as the resulting introduction of new local restrictions in Bucharest. To ensure the safety of all players, talent, and production staff participating in the event, we have decided to refund all ticket sales for The International 2021.
We wanted nothing more than to welcome fans live to the event, but we can no longer do so in a way that allows us to prioritize the health and well-being of both audience members and participants. Those who purchased tickets will be issued a full refund automatically.
The International 2021 will begin as planned on October 7, and we look forward to welcoming the best Dota teams in the world to the stage and sharing the experience online with millions of fans around the world.
While in many ways, the Dota 2 community will be happy to see TI10 happen after the hiatus in 2020, it just won't be the same to see a tournament with a prize pool of $40 million being played in front of empty seats in the Arena Nationala in Bucharest. But those are the times we currently live in, and in some ways, Valve's hands are tied as well. Let us hope that even without crowds, TI10 will bring us the best Dota 2 has to offer and that the world will finally be back to normal well before TI11 arrives.
