- BLAST Premier adds Dota 2 as a new esports vertical
- The inaugural event will kick off on June 9 and have Betway as its title sponsor
- BLAST Bounty Hunt will reunite a top crop of teams
The leading CS: GO tournament organizer BLAST Premier is branching into Dota 2 with a new $145,000-event and Betway as the title sponsor.
BLAST Premier Adopts Dota 2
The BLAST Premier will take a different twist, with the popular esports host going after Dota 2 events next. The BLAST Bounty Hunt will be the inaugural tournament for the new vertical BLAST is expanding into, and the company has already found a sponsor.
Sportsbook operator Betway has vowed support for the upcoming tournament. Traditionally, BLAST focuses on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but the company has decided to expand. Betway is also a mainstream sponsor for many esports organizations, not least Invictus Gaming (Dota 2), MiBR (CS: GO) and Ninjas in Pyjamas (CS: GO).
The company also sponsored the DreamHack Masters Spring. Betway has also been a title sponsor for the ESL Pro League, with the company’s partners continuing to grow. Betway’s logo also appeared on PSG.LGD’s t-shirt in 2019.
The premier BLAST Dota 2 event will hit on June 9 with Betway’s Ninjas in Pyjamas will face the likes of Alliance, Team Nigma, OG, Team Secret, and Team Liquid in a four-day fiery contest with a guaranteed prize pool of $145,000.
Adding More to the Dota 2 Competitive Circuit
This is an important improvement on the competitive Dota 2 schedule with The International 10 getting postponed and Valve still not announcing a comeback date. In any eventuality though, the return would be no sooner than 2021.
Commenting on these developments, Betway Head of Esports Adam Savinson had this to say: “We have had an incredibly successful 2020 working with BLAST across their Counter-Strike tournaments, making it a very easy decision to support their entry into DOTA 2. We are excited to see BLAST bring their innovative and exciting approach to a new game, and are proud to help them on that journey.”
The tie-up between BLAST and Betway isn’t new either. Betway sponsored BLAST Premier in 2019 and the current partnership is a continuation of an apt and fruitful partnership. BLAST Commercial Director Leo Matlock also agreed that the growing collaboration BLAST and Betway is a good thing, and added: “We look forward to continuing this innovative partnership as we expand into one of the world’s most played and loved games in the shape of DOTA 2.”
He added that the company was excited to deliver world-class Dota 2 tournaments and share this with fans, supported by Betway, which has proven a valuable partner in recent years.
