Valve has recently made an announcement regarding in-game advertisements during The International 2024 (TI13) in a new blog post. The company revealed on Aug. 28, through the official Dota 2 website, that there will be no advertisements or sponsorships featured in-game at The International, including team banners, base logos, and player names.
This decision seems to be a response to the growing trend of betting and other sponsors being incorporated into clan tags, base logos, and player names. Sponsors often pay teams to include their branding in these in-game elements, essentially advertising throughout the entire match. Valve has now taken a firm stance against this practice.
The timing of this announcement is interesting, especially considering the absence of Team Supporter Packs in the game currently. When The International 2024 Compendium was rolled out, the lack of Supporter Packs was noted, attributed to the typical delays associated with Valve’s development schedule.
It is possible that Valve’s decision to eliminate in-game advertisements is tied to their disapproval of using Supporter Packs as a means to promote team sponsors in Dota 2. Although these packs typically only featured team and player content, Valve may have been concerned about potential sponsorships being mistakenly endorsed or promoted by the company during the tournament.
While Valve’s move is understandable from a tournament organization standpoint, it poses challenges for teams that rely on sponsorships to fund their participation in events like The International. Team marketing and sponsorship managers will likely be working diligently to find alternate avenues to showcase their partners outside of the game itself.
