The International, the annual capstone tournament for Dota 2's esports scene, surpassed its 2015 prize pool of $18,429,613 yesterday, breaking its old record for highest prize pool in esports history. The current purse sits at $18,656,487 and is still climbing with two weeks to go until the event.
The tournament's prize pool reaches these heights by selling a virtual item called The Compendium. Players receive new seasonal terrain, weather effects, quests to unlock cosmetic items, and much more by purchasing it. Twenty-five percent of the proceeds are put towards the prize pool, making The International largely crowdfunded.
From the tournament's inaugural run in 2011 through 2015, The International's total prize pool has exceeded $35.4 million; including this year, the total is $54,084,457 at the time of this writing. Last year, 16-year-old Syed Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan of Evil Geniuses was the youngest player to win his share of esports' biggest prize pool, and in doing so, became a millionaire.
The International will be held in Seattle -- the home city of Valve, Dota 2's developer -- from August 3-13 and will feature professional teams from North America, Europe, and Asia competing to inscribe their name on the Aegis, the tournament's massive shield-shaped trophy.
Among the competitors are OG, the first team to win two Dota 2 majors, Manila Major runner-up Team Liquid, North American TI5 winners Evil Geniuses, Chinese teams Newbee and LGD Gaming, South Korean team MVP Phoenix, recent StarLadder winner Natus Vincere and Shanghai Major winner Team Secret. The event also features a wild card system where four teams from the international open qualifiers will compete for the two finals slots in the main event.