BLAST Expands into Dota 2 with Inaugural Tournament Series
Renowned esports tournament organizer BLAST has made its debut in the Dota 2 competitive landscape, launching the first event in their new BLAST Slam series. Known for their success in Counter-Strike, the organization is now setting its sights on one of esports’ most popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) titles.
The organization’s journey in esports has been marked by high-quality events, including their notable hosting of the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 for Counter-Strike and their expansion into Rainbow Six Siege. Now, BLAST is bringing its expertise to the Dota 2 competitive scene with an ambitious long-term plan.
With a tournament calendar extending through 2026, BLAST has outlined an aggressive strategy for Dota 2. The BLAST Slam series is set to feature eight tournaments over the next two years, each offering a substantial $1,000,000 prize pool. While their first event didn’t top the charts, it showed considerable potential with a peak viewership of 200,000.
The inaugural tournament demonstrated some interesting viewing patterns. Maintaining an average of 97,700 viewers across nearly 50 hours of broadcast, the event utilized a Gauntlet Playoff format that provided extended coverage of high-stakes matches. Particularly noteworthy were the matches featuring BetBoom Team, which drew the highest individual match viewership.
Viewership demographics
Viewership demographics mirrored the broader Dota 2 esports audience, with English and Russian-speaking viewers dominating watch time. The event also saw significant engagement from Spanish-speaking audiences and viewers from Southeast Asian countries, primarily through YouTube Live streams.
Compared to other established third-party Dota 2 tournaments, BLAST Slam I’s performance was modest but promising. While some events this year reached peak viewerships of 300,000 or even approaching 500,000, BLAST’s first tournament positioned itself competitively within the third-party event landscape.
Looking ahead, BLAST has an ambitious schedule. The next Slam event is slated for February 2025, with four additional tournaments planned for the year. Each event will feature ten of the world’s top Dota 2 teams, suggesting the organization’s commitment to establishing itself in the MOBA esports scene.
As BLAST continues to develop its Dota 2 presence, the esports community will be watching closely. Their track record of successful events in other titles, combined with this strategic approach to entering the Dota 2 market, indicates that they could become a significant player in the tournament organization space.
