Dota 2’s second Major to be in China

The Grand Finals of the first Dota 2 Major are about to kick off, and prior to the final match, Valve have revealed details of the second Major.

So, without further ado: the second Dota 2 Major will be in the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China, and will take place between 2 March and 6 March 2016. As you might expect for a tournament taking place in China, it’s going to be hosted by Perfect World. Judging by the splash screen displayed on the stream (which I don’t have a capture of, as the VODs aren’t up yet and I’m watching it on a TV), it’s also going to be themed around the colour blue, much like the Frankfurt one is green.

You can tell I’m scrambling for something relevant to say, can’t you? Er, let’s try the internet. Apparently, the Mercedes-Benz Arena used to be called the Shanghai World Expo Cultural Center. Thanks, Wikipedia!

The inaugural Major is finishing up in the German city of Frankfurt as I write this, and it’s been quite a ride. Not quite the same ludicrous spectacle as The International, but then, The International is the biggest event of the Dota 2 calendar. The matches here have absolutely been of the same calibre, though, so it’s been quite a treat for fans of professional Dota 2.

In case you’re sat there asking “What’s a Major?”, it’s Valve’s attempt to spread their own brand of major Dota 2 tournaments throughout the year. Instead of just having The International, there will be four tournaments – the Majors – with the final one being The International. Each Major will take place in a different part of the world, hence the current Frankfurt tournament.

Since we’ve had a Major in western Europe and we’re going to have a Major in China, and since The International will almost invariably take place in Seattle, I’m going to take a guess that the third Major will – politics notwithstanding – probably be in Russia. South America is another possibility, as is Korea or the Philippines, but the Dota 2 scene in each of those countries is relatively young. Russia and China have some of the largest Dota 2 scenes in the world and some of the finest players and teams, so it’d make sense for them to host a tournament each – and that’d also spread the tournaments pretty nicely across the globe. Or, er, the northern hemisphere, at least.

You can tune into the Frankfurt Major Grand Finals here, or within the Dota 2 client itself. No spoilers on who’s playing, in case you’re catching up on the games still.