Korb3n criticized Valve for the critical changes made to The International

Dmitry "Korb3n" Belov, Team Spirit manager, stated that Valve has turned The International into an ordinary tournament by removing the unique activities that made it a world championship and a celebration for Dota 2 fans.

He criticized Valve's decisions during a Twitch stream.

"Remember the All-Stars matches at The International? No more of those. There used to be pre-parties – not anymore. Why is everyone saying The International has become just another tournament? It’s not about the prize pool – who cares about that. It’s because all the activities are disappearing. There used to be a ping-pong table, and all the teams would come to play for fun, for money, or just because. Now there’s nothing, not even a proper dining room. The International used to be a celebration: you’d arrive and be greeted with a welcome dinner. Gabe would come to the tournament and open it. Everyone would run around trying to take pictures with him. Now there’s nothing – you just arrive at a tournament, and that’s it."

According to him, the community has come to terms with the smaller prize pool, but The International has become just another tournament due to Valve’s decision to remove the activities. He explained that now neither players nor fans feel the celebratory atmosphere of Dota 2. Korb3n pointed out that Gabe Newell no longer opens The International, the All-Stars matches are gone, and other side activities that gave players and fans a chance to have fun and feel the significance of the event have been removed.

"It’s not right that there’s no money, but people have gotten used to it. But the fact that they are cutting everything else... Skipping it without saying a word, without warning"

He is also unhappy with the many changes Valve is making to the tournament without any notice, which he believes negatively impacts The International.

Earlier, the Team Spirit manager revealed the real reason why Valve canceled the Battle Pass in Dota 2.