A recent report reveals that Dota 2 continues to dominate the esports landscape, generating significant wealth for professional players and boasting impressive prize pools.
According to the report compiled by Mobile Premier League (MPL), 21 out of the top 35 esports millionaires are Dota 2 professionals. This year alone, Dota 2's prize pool exceeded $21 million, despite having significantly fewer tournaments than other titles like Counter-Strike, which had a prize pool of around $18 million across nearly 300 tournaments compared to Dota 2's 75.
Esports Wealth and Player Counts
Call of Duty ranks second in wealth generation within esports, with 5 millionaire players. Rocket League stands out with the highest player count (nearly 4,000) but ranks 10th in prize money, just below $6 million.
Country Rankings
The report also highlights esports earnings by country:
- China: Over $23.4 million for 1,407 players
- United States: Almost $19.8 million for 3,016 players
- Korea: $9.948 million for 792 players
- Russian Federation: $9.709 million for 723 players
Dota 2 and AI
Beyond its financial impact, Dota 2 has also been used in machine learning experiments. The OpenAI Five bot team, introduced in 2017, achieved a 99.4% win rate in public games during a 2019 online event. The same year, OpenAI Five defeated the reigning Dota 2 champions, team OG.
