Valve has finalised the dates for Dota Pro Circuit’s 2023 season, and there’s some noticeable changes on the cards compared to 2022.
The announcement follows months of anticipation, after the grand final of The International 2022 saw Tundra Esports being crowned champions, following their victory over Team Secret.
And it looks like 2023 may play out a little differently than last year - not only are the regional leagues now significantly shorter, but the Division 1 and Division 2 matches now have completely different dates compared to 2022. It has also been revealed that we will see three Majors this year - taking place February 24, April 28 and June 30, 2023.
We have further information on that right below - and we’ll be keeping you up to date on the 2023 season throughout the year, so be sure to sign up for your free account now!
Dota Pro Circuit 2023 Tour and Major dates
DPC’s first season of 2023 will begin on January 9, 2023. That’s according to a tweet from Team Secret, who revealed that the Winter Tour will begin with the division 1 regional league, running from January 9 to January 29. That will culminate in a Winter Major that will run from February 24 through to March 5.
Once the Winter Tour is over, the Spring Tour will begin on March 13, with the division 1 regional league running from March 13 until April 2. That will again conclude with the Spring Major, which will take place from April 28 to May 7.
Finally, the regional league for the Summer Tour will run from May 15 to June 4, with the Summer Major taking place from June 30 to July 9.
Despite a number of rumours circulating, we don’t yet know exactly where each of the three Majors will be hosted. An official announcement is expected at a later date.
The most visible change here is the duration of the tours - lasting for just three weeks, instead of the six week tours we’ve seen in previous years. This change has been long-requested by fans, who complained that the overly-long tours made it harder to run third-party events without conflicting with the DPC.
This change could theoretically allow for more third-party tournaments, both in 2023 and beyond. Additionally, it means teams have more space to make roster changes between tours. It also means the tours will be more intense than ever - with the same number of matches in half the usual amount of time.
Dota Pro Circuit 2023 host change
That’s not the only change we’ll see in 2023 either. According to an October tweet from Beyond The Summit (BTS) co-founder David “LD” Gorman, BTS will not be hosting a regional division of the Dota Pro Circuit next year. In fact, LD cast doubt on the very idea that they would be doing “any DOTA content at all moving forward. It marks quite a stark change, with BTS being one of Dota’s longest-running hosts, having run tournaments since 2012.
In BTS’ place, PGL announced in December that it had secured the rights to host the Winter, Spring, and Summer Tours for WEU and NA. PGL are fresh off having hosted last year’s International, which was plagued with production issues - with players complaining about a lack of soundproof booths, meaning they could hear the casters during a match.
Given that casters not only guide viewers through a match, they also provide updates on important developments and strategic choices, giving any player who might be listening in a clear advantage. PGL addressed this issue by lowering the caster’s volume in the arena, making it harder for the crowd to hear.
PGL were further criticised for hosting remote panels during the International, with many being forced to cover the event from a different continent. It remains to be seen if this decision will be repeated in the 2023 season.
Still, these failings were clearly not sufficient to keep PGL from securing the WEU and NA tour rights - so all eyes will be on them as we head into the 2023 season. And we’ll be keeping you up to date at every step - so make sure you’ve claimed your free account before the DPC 2023 season begins!
