Valve Apologizes to Teams After Cancelling First Major of 2022 DPC
It also provided an update on its upcoming plans of an offline event
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Following the backlash raised on social media by the Dota 2 esports community over the cancellation of its first major of the 2022 DPC season, Valve has provided an update to its professional teams. The company explained the reasons behind its decision of cancelling the major and its plans of hosting a replacement LAN tournament.
The company also issued an apology note in the email sent to competitive Dota 2 teams. “We should have done a better job of keeping you all in the loop about the risks of the event, and we also should have been more willing to take a different approach earlier to find a way to conclude the first season,” Valve told its competitive players and teams. “We apologize for this.”
The email was sent to teams on Jan. 12 and was posted publicly by Team Secret's Operations Director Matthew "Cyborgmatt" Bailey.
Valve explains why it had to cancel the first major of 2022 DPC
Valve explained in its email that it had cancelled the event due to a number of factors, including health concerns and travel restrictions stemming from the recent upsurge of infections caused by the Omicron variant of the ongoing pandemic.
Moreover, the email indicates that Valve has also had difficulties with tournament organizers, who declined to host the event due to these factors. This is in line with the recent allegations from Aldar Dzhambinov, Hellraisers’ CEO. Dzhambinov claimed that a tournament organizer was informed that they had won the bid to host the major too late and hence refused to host the major due to the short timeframe and a high risk of failure.
However, despite cancelling the first major of the season thanks to health, travel and logistical constraints caused by the pandemic amongst other factors, Valve has stated that it is currently working toward “bringing everyone together in one location” and hosting an offline event.
Valve is yet to address systemic communication issues
However, Valve did not update fans and competitive teams on other issues that were brought up by esports players including Quinn "Quinn" Callahan and Maurice "KheZu" Gutmann. Most of the criticism that was brought up yesterday was focused on Valve’s lack of communication and its impact on the stability of the competitive scene.
Several prominent personalities including Owen “ODPixel” Davies also questioned Valve on what it planned to do with its $500K USD prize pool that would have gone to teams competing at the first major of the 2022 DPC. However, Valve has not yet commented on it.
Perhaps hiring a community manager would help Valve’s interactions with players, teams and fans allowing them to effectively communicate with the ecosystem.
The regional leagues of the first season of DPC 2021/22 will come to a close on Jan. 23 when China’s final matches conclude. The second season is currently scheduled to resume on Mar. 14, giving Valve close to two months to carve out a solution for its professional teams whether it be through a replacement offline event or through other smaller tournaments.
