The COVID-19 pandemic seems to be making permanent changes to how people are allowed to move in physical spaces. With lockdowns happening globally, and pandemic restrictions implemented both in public spaces and workplaces, planning large-scale gaming events such as Dota 2's The International have been heavily affected. Now, however, Valve has announced that the 10th The International will be taking place in Bucharest, Romania, and will also allow fans to physically attend the tournament, as long as they are able to abide by a few event rules.
As the pandemic continues in various parts of the world, the gaming and geek industry has slowly started to adapt to the situation. Though many video game companies such as Warner Bros. have announced delays in their production, others have learned to continue operations and even thrive despite the circumstances. The events industry seems to also be picking up the pace, with the recent PAX West actually pushing through with a physical event. Given that Dota 2's TI10 has already been delayed for a year, it is not surprising that Valve is eager to please its community and make the tournament happen.
On the official Dota 2 website, Valve announced last July 2021 that The International 10 will be happening in Bucharest, Romania. The announcement only gave details on the event's official dates and location, and even mentioned that the team was looking forward to meeting with the avid Dota 2 fanbase and community both virtually and in person. This alludes to the fact that Valve may have already been planning to have fans physically attend The International 10 during the actual tournament dates. This intention was confirmed just this September 2021 when Valve announced ticket sales and event rules for the upcoming competition.
In the most recent post, Valve shared that tickets for The International 10 will go on sale starting September 22, 2021. This was after careful consideration by the team, who had been concerned by the Delta variant of COVID-19. Dota 2 fans will be able to purchase their tickets on a specially dedicated site, but have to abide by a few event rules and requirements. Such requirements include being fully-vaccinated and masked while at the event, similar to restrictions implemented by PAX West for its physical event.
Though some fans may protest Valve's event restrictions for The International 10, these may be just a few inconveniences to suffer through in order to see fan-favorite Dota 2 teams duke it out in the biggest tournament of the professional season.
Source: Dota 2