Dota 2’s ‘The International’ tournament moves to China for 2019

Since launching in 2011, The International Dota 2 tournament has grown tremendously and is a core focus for Valve each year. The tournament has moved around a couple of times over the years, with the US, Canada and Germany all hosting the event. Next year, The International will be moving even further.

During the final day of this year's International, which took place in Vancouver, it was announced that the tournament will be hosted in Shanghai's Mercedez-Benz Arena next year. Shanghai's vice mayor, Weng Tiehui, posted a video announcing the move.

This will mark the first time that the tournament has been held outside of North America since 2012. The very first International took place in 2011 in Cologne, Germany, alongside Gamescom- Europe's largest gaming event.

Since then, The International has traditionally remained in Valve's hometown of Seattle, Washington. As GI.biz points out, this year's International moved to Vancouver while the usual Seattle venue underwent construction.

KitGuru Says: The International has moved around a few times over the years but China seems like the furthest move yet. Typically, Asia is a hotspot for esports, so this could end up being a solid move but it will also mean that some regular attendees may miss out next year. 

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