What better way to get a game started in a country than to have to government endorse it? Dota 2 is in this very position in China, with the country’s General Administration of Sports is giving the MOBA/ARTS title their support in breaking into the Chinese eSports industry.
A tournament spanning five different games will begin soon as the Administration of Sports attempts to bring together the country’s national eSports league. The exact games being played during the tournament have yet to be revealed, aside from Valve’s Dota 2.
The above is particularly notable because Dota 2 was the only game mentioned on the announcement broadcast on the government’s national television channel, Xinwen Lianbo. The trailer for the game was also shown during the announcement, which was broadcast to millions of people last week.
The online regional phase tournament will be beginning within the next two weeks and will be simulcast online and on television, though broadcaster negotiations are still ongoing. More details on this are sure to surface over the next few days.
China’s support of Dota 2 may be surprising to some, but the original DotA stands as one of the most popular games in the country. 2012 reportedly saw nearly 5 billion DotA matches in China alone, across only one of the game’s three platforms in the region.
We’ll see how China decides to handle their national eSports league over the coming weeks as the tournament begins and is broadcast online. Dota 2 is a guaranteed show at the tournament, and it is likely League of Legends and StarCraft 2 will be making an appearance in the events as well. The last two games out of the five to be competed in are a mystery for the time being.
On another note, check out the below video to get a taste of Dota 2‘s Chinese dubbing. Pleasantly palatable.
(Via Dotaland)
