Valve Announces Plans To Scrap Dota 2 Battle Pass Since Nobody Buys Them Anyway
Valve is making a big change to the Dota 2 monetization model as the current one apparently isn’t working out for them. To mark the popular MOBA’s 10th anniversary, the studio published a retrospective blog where they revealed that they’ll be doing away with battle passes since almost nobody buys them anyway and that players responded well to their decision to shift their focus and resources from creating new battle pass content to rolling out new features.
“We made a deliberate choice earlier this year to run an experiment: to take some of the resources that would normally produce Battle Pass content and instead put them towards more speculative updates, including features and content that couldn’t fit into a Battle Pass,” said Valve.
“Most Dota players never buy a Battle Pass and never get any rewards from it,” the studio added. “Community response to New Frontiers has helped us build confidence that working less on cosmetic content for the Battle Pass and more on a variety of exciting updates is the right long-term path for Dota as both a game and a community.”
Moving forward, future updates will follow a similar approach, offering a variety of cosmetics throughout the year while placing a greater emphasis on introducing more diverse updates that cater to the enjoyment of all Dota 2 players. This change also affects the goodies provided to bolster the prize pool for the game's International esports event, as Valve will no longer include battle pass sales in the pot.
Valve's decision reflects the power of consumer choice and the impact players can have by simply choosing to not open their wallets. As the Dota 2 community eagerly awaits this very welcome change, it remains to be seen how this shift will shape the future of the game and its competitive scene.
