The mysterious lead developer behind Dota 2, known only as IceFrog, has apparently returned to active development on the game - meaning that some big changes could be on the horizon.
Dota 2 fans can expect "bigger changes again."
While Valve never publicly announced that IceFrog ever stepped down from working on Dota 2, it has been a long-held belief among fans and players alike - and it has seemingly been confirmed with his apparent return.
Fans have pointed to the sorry state of Dota 2 updates over the last year as evidence of this. While Valve continues to support the game, there has been no major changes or additions to the game for quite some time now - with each patch released being much less exciting than many fans would have hoped. As a result, many have argued that IceFrog was either no longer involved in the game's development, or at least had taken on a reduced role.
But that looks set to change, as revealed by Tundra Esports’ Oliver “skiter” Lepko. During an hour-long interview with Slovakian caster Peter “c1RcA” Trávnik, skiter claimed that IceFrog has "not been working on Dota much the past two years."
"That's why there weren't any big changes to the map or economics," said skiter. "Icefrog [is] supposed to be back since the last patch so we can expect bigger changes again."
He went on to add that he is looking forward to meeting IceFrog in person, alongside his fellow champions at Tundra Esports following their win at The International 2022.
Following the interview, Team Bald Reborn's Janne “Gorgc” Stefanovski also spoke out about the situation - and confirmed that he too had heard about IceFrog's return. Gorc expressed surprise that skiter leaked this information, but confirmed that "this is also what I heard, and I didn’t want to say anything on stream, but it looks to be the truth.”
He went on to add that he didn't share the information that IceFrog had previously stepped down from Dota 2 development, as he "believed that people would stop caring about Dota 2 if IceFrog wasn’t at Valve.”
IceFrog's return to development on Dota 2 could point to some more significant changes on the horizon, which is likely to have some significant impact on the game's professional scene. All eyes will be on future patch notes to see what this means for the future of Dota 2.
It's an exciting time for Dota fans, with many hoping that IceFrog's return will breathe new life into the game. We'll keep you updated on this and on everything else on the Dota 2 competitive scene right here on Luckbox - so sign up now to claim your free 100% bonus!
