Dates Announced for DOTA Pro Circuit Season 2021-22

Alliance quotes Valve as the source of this news. The International 10 turned out to be one of the greatest sporting events since the global pandemic outbreak. However, while teams have yet to recover from the excitement of playing on the grand stage offered by Dota 2, Valve has already revealed the dates for the upcoming season to professional players.

According to a tweet published by Alliance on October 6, the upcoming Dota Pro Circuit season may start much earlier than expected. Moreover, judging by the dates disclosed by Alliance, The International is likely to become an autumn event, rather than the usual summer schedule.

Let’s delve inside and examine everything Alliance revealed on Twitter regarding the schedule of the DPC 2021-22 season.

Schedule for DPC 2021-22 Season Revealed

🚨DPC 2021-2022 NEWS🚨

League 1. Nov 29th – Dec 22nd and Jan 5th – Jan 23th (Christmas/New Year's break in the middle)
Major 1. Feb 17-27*
League 2. Mar 14th – Apr 24th
Major 2. May 11th – May 21st*
League 3. June 6th – July 17th
Major 3. Aug 4th – Aug 14th*

*=estimated pic.twitter.com/HNgAiYGccj

— Alliance (@theAllianceGG) October 6, 2021

The Alliance tweet not only confirms a change in the regular schedule of The International but also reveals that the upcoming season will feature three leagues in all regions and three Majors within the DPC framework. Although Alliance has confirmed the dates for all three leagues, the Major dates are yet to be confirmed.

Here are the dates announced by Alliance:

• League One – November 29 to December 22. From January 5 to 23 after the Christmas and New Year holidays.
• Tentative dates for the first Major – February 17 to 27.
• League Two – March 14 to April 27.
• Main League Two – May 11 to 21.
• League Three – June 6 to July 17.
• Main League Three – August 4 to 14.

Following two leagues in the previous season, it can be confidently said that Valve is definitely trying to ensure a more professional gameplay environment in Dota 2. This, in turn, may mean that developers are trying to create a more stable structure for the esports scene.

However, it will be very interesting to see how this change in structure will affect the coveted International.

How Will This Structure Affect The International?

Aside from the obvious fact that The International will become an autumn event held in October-November, the change in structure can have a noticeable impact on The International’s ever-growing prize pool.

Valve, by supporting several prize pools for Majors and regional leagues, is a significant factor, and the concept of having two separate Battle Passes can also influence TI’s prize pool.

Considering that a large portion of TI’s prize pool is funded through 25% of all annual Battle Pass sales, it will be interesting to see Valve’s position in the absence of a fixed Battle Pass for the tournament. Nonetheless, since Valve can earn almost twice as much as before by releasing two Battle Passes per year, developers may decide to break all their records when it comes to the TI prize pool.

However, until there is official confirmation from Valve, speculating about the future of the DPC is extremely challenging. After all, even the dates of the upcoming season were announced by Alliance, not Valve.