Games publisher Valve has committed funding to reboot the Movistar Liga Pro Gaming circuit, a professional South American Dota 2 competition previously cancelled due to COVID-19.
Produced by entertainment company Live Media Esports Entertainment, the competition features a total prize pool of $45,000 (~£34,512).
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The competition structure includes four open qualifiers, a two-tiered league and a knockout finals series. Open qualifiers will be managed via First Blood, an online tournament platform catering to Dota 2 and PUBG.
Upper and Lower divisions will be formed incorporating a mixture of invited teams and squads coming through the open qualifiers. A $25,000 (~£19,169) portion of the prize pool will be distributed amongst the teams competing in the two leagues. A subsequent knockout finals series will see the winner of the Lower Divison join the top seven Upper Division teams compete for the remaining $20,000 (~£15,334).
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CEO of Live Media, Luis Carillo Pinto commented that “Dota 2 is the second most popular esport in Peru, with audiences that can even exceed professional soccer in some cases. This contribution from Valve is a demonstration of their interest in growing Dota 2 in our region and that they have appreciated the great effort we have made over these almost three years to professionalize the local scene. Our entire staff is preparing all the production details to create the best audiovisual and content experience for the enormous legion of esports fans in our country.”
Coverage will be broadcast live on the Movistar Deportes channel, including matches and highlights programs.
Esports Insider says: Considering Valve’s largely hands-off approach to esports, funding this South American tournament circuit is a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. Tournament organisers of all stripes have handled the wrecking ball that is COVID-19 with mixed results, seeing regional competition like this bounce back is great to see.