Valve has announced that TI12, The International 2023 will have a homecoming to Seattle, Washington, after a six-year absence.
After rumors, hints, and leaks, Valve has finally confirmed that TI12, The International 2023 will be held in Seattle, Washington, USA. The news broke in a special reveal during the ESL One Berlin Major, on May 7, just ahead of the Grand Finals.
TI returns to Seattle after a six-year absence, and four events away from it's spiritual home. From 2012 to 2017, The International was hosted in Seattle, where developer Valve's HQ is also located. The event moved to Vancouver in 2018, and since then has been a truly international affair, globetrotting to China, Bucharest, and Singapore.
TI returns to Seattle
For many, the return to Seattle will be seen as a homecoming for Dota 2's biggest event. Although the in the initial announcement didn't reveal anything else than the location, many expect a return to the Key Arena in Seattle, now known as the Climate Pledge Arena. This was later confirmed
Dates were later confirmed. We know it all kicks off on Oct. 14, with the Group Stage and Playoffs. The main stage portion of the event will run between Oct. 27-29, at the Climate Pledge Arena. The half-month-long event will be the culmination of a Dota 2 season that has seen many twists and turns. Now, over a decade after the first, Dota's homecoming to North America is supremely welcomed by many!
However, the final question that remains this season is the presence of Last Chance Qualifiers. Valve has been tight-lipped, and initially said they were done and dusted with the popular qualifier format. But fans and players love the LCQs, and Valve may have to bow and accept that fans want more TI12 Seattle qualifiers.
We will update this article as soon as we have more details, and stay tuned to esports.gg for more TI12 news and information.