"No chance to even buy a ticket": DOTA 2 fans left fuming after The International 2022 sold out due to scalpers

Valve recently released tickets for two phases of DOTA 2: The International 2022 through Ticketmaster, which have sold out in less than an hour, according to fans. The reason people are fuming is that most of these tickets have been purchased by scalpers, who are then selling them back at a much higher value.

Valve announced earlier this week that tickets for one of the biggest annual events in esports will be split into two separate sections, the Playoffs (October 20-23) and the Finals Weekend (October 29-30). Each section had its own set of pricing. Tickets were being sold in a single wave starting at 10:00 am SGT / 2:00 am GMT / 07:30 am IST on August 13.

According to Valve's press statement, a customer will only be allowed to purchase a maximum of five tickets for each date.

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DOTA 2 fans are angry with The International 2022 tickets being sold out because of scalpers

Within hours of The International 2022 tickets going live, social media was replete with DOTA 2 fans, clamoring that they would not even be able to procure a ticket as everything was already sold out in less than an hour. Scalpers seem to have acquired large amounts of tickets and are now reselling them at a hiked price.

As seen above, the DOTA 2 subreddit is filled with players complaining about the issue. One user posted that they waited for nearly an hour, got in after 11 minutes of the tickets going live, and found that tickets for all the event's days were gone instantly. They further noted that the tickets were already being scalped on Carousell.

These listings have been selling at exorbitant prices. For example, one post asks for S$1,199 for The International 2022 Finals tickets. u/Fit-Pickle-5908 found one Carousel user stating that they had managed to amass 60 tickets to the Finals and were selling them for S$1000 each, which was reportedly raised to S$1,700 later.

One of the scalpers' offers (Image via Carousell)

A Reddit post showing a scalper's Carousell offer (Image via u/Fit-Pickle-5908/DOTA 2 Reddit)

Players have noted the poor management at Ticketmaster, their allotment of tickets, and earlier news reports (via CBC) that suggested that the company may have aided scalpers privately.

The International 2022 marks the first time that Valve has held such a DOTA 2 event in Southeast Asia. The region is home to legions of fans who have spent countless hours in the popular MOBA title and ardently cheer their favorite teams.

Although ticket prices are already steep considering the economy of the region, the scalping issue has essentially meant that many fans will not get a chance to see world famous teams fight for the fabled Aegis of Champions. Given that for DOTA 2 fans, attending TI is a coveted dream, this is indeed disappointing news.

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The International 2022: Structure, dates, and invited teams

Earlier in July, Valve announced the structure of this year's The International. The schedule for the same is as follows:

• The Last Chance Qualifiers will be conducted from October 8-12.
• 20 teams will compete in the Group Stage from October 15-18 to make it to the Main Event.
• The Playoffs will held among the qualified teams from October 20-23.
• The Finals will be held on October 29-30 and will crown the next champion.

The 12 teams who have managed to secure a direct invite to TI 2022 were only recently finalized, with some of them gathering the required points in the ongoing PGL Arlington Major. They are as follows: beastcoast, BOOM Esports, Evil Geniuses, Gaimin Gladiators, OG, Outsiders, PSG.LGD, Team Aster, Team Spirit, Thunder Awaken, TSM, and Tundra Esports.