14 DAY TRIAL // Valve confirms that the prize pool for its upcoming The International 2015 Dota 2 competition has reached a whopping 7.5 million USD (around 6.6 million EUR) in just 10 days since the digital compendium went on sale for players of the popular game. Unfortunately, this rapid pace of growth means that the promised rewards, like the second set of Immortal items, aren't quite ready for launch.
Dota 2 is one of the most popular free-to-play titles out there, with over 10 million unique players enjoying the strategy experience every month.
Its biggest yearly eSports tournament, The International, is set to take place in August, and as always, developer Valve has begun selling a digital compendium through which fans can contribute to the prize pool of the actual contest.
The International 2015 compendium has generated a huge prize pool
25% of each purchase goes directly to the prize pool, and now Valve confirms on its website that another big milestone has been reached, that of 7.5 million USD (6.6 million EUR). What's even more impressive is that the goal was completed in just 10 days, and there are around 90 days left until The International 5 kicks off and the compendium sale stops.
Valve currently has stretch goals up until 15 million USD (13.3 million EUR), but given the community's huge desire to support Dota 2 and get rewards for their efforts, it's looking like the target sum will be overtaken pretty easily.
Rewards are getting delayed for quality concerns
Unfortunately, the high speed at which the prize pool increases means that Valve can't keep up with the release of the rewards. It mentions that one major stretch goal, the second set of Immortal items, isn't ready quite yet, as the studio wants to make sure that great gear is delivered to Dota 2 players.
"We’re still working on building the second set of Immortal items, but they’re not quite ready yet. We know the most important aspect of these Immortals is their quality level, so we are also planning on spending some extra time polishing them rather than releasing them quickly," Valve explains.
However, a special update for the Dota 2 compendium is coming this week with new challenges, an item recycling system, and a new mechanic that allows for fresh ways of earning compendium points.