Bali Major was the first Dota 2 Major to be held in Indonesia and in a resort to boot. So was it a boom or bust in terms of success?
Bali Major is done and dusted. A few days ago, Gaimin Gladiators showed complete domination of the Dota Pro Circuit becoming back-to-back-to-back Major Champions.
The Bali Major had a total prize pool of $500,000 and 3,500 DPC points to offer —1,600 more points than Lima and 800 more than Berlin. In addition to being the final spot on the DPC tour to secure invitations to The International, it was also the Bali Major held at Ayana Estate, one of the most luxurious vacation places one can find. While the scenery can’t be compared, the price was definitely setting this Major at the highest value for a Dota 2 event so far.
So in the end, did this all make for a successful event or was it a bust?
Bali Major Administration: Bust
During the course of the event, there were a handful of problematic situations that potentially impacted the end results, but definitely put the integrity into question.
Organizers failed to supervise the teams or have an admin/referee in the rooms during the groups —both of which are entirely normal to have during events. The result was that teams ended up violating the rules, with or without bad intentions.
Tundra Esports was given a level 1 draft penalty for Neta "33" Shapira opening Spotify. Betboom were penalized when Ivan "Pure" Moskalenko alt-tabbed to a Russian broadcast of their game during a pause.
Not only should someone have been present in the room to prevent that from happening, but the computers should not have had access to apps other than Dota 2 and Team Speak.
Even when the rules were broken, the organizers were not swift in addressing or dealing with the issue. It wasn't until things got heated on social media and a full day later that BetBoom was dropped to the lower brackets and that Tundra was given a draft penalty.
And matters were made even worse when their next opponent, Azure Ray, demanded that Pure be replaced —threatening to forfeit their series and report the violation to Valve.
It took some time before IO Esports/Epulze made a decision on what would happen. The match was postponed to later in the day. According to 9pandas manager, it was because they were 'afraid' to make a final decision.
BetBoom was eventually forced to find a replacement with little notice.
Bali Major Viewership: Bust
Image courtesy of Esports Charts
According to the reports by Esports Charts, peak viewers, average viewers, and total viewed hours were all lower than other Majors in the season. The drop in Average Viewers resulted in a decrease in Hours Watched, with The Bali Major 2023 being 22% weaker than the Berlin tournament and 32% weaker than the Lima tournament.
Image courtesy of Esports Charts
It wasn't just this season. Bali Major had the lowest viewership in the last two years.
Although the production value of Major events is often scrutinized and criticized, there were significant delays and broadcast interruptions due to lag, infinite pauses, and even the internet provider dropping.
In addition, the timezone was unfavourable for Western viewers. The event was dominated by Europe. None of the SEA teams made it to the playoffs stage. After Execration and Blacklist International fell short of a playoff seed from Group A, Bleed Esports was also eliminated out of Group B.
All four teams from WEU placed in the top 4 of their respective group in Bali. Eastern Europe didn't do too shabby themselves in groups. The region had two teams head to the lower brackets and one to the upper brackets.
The top four teams were all from Western Europe. But Western Europe essentially missed most of the matches due to the early start time — so the biggest fanbase and those invested in watching the outcome never even tuned in.
Meta stagnation and over-saturation of the same teams playing each other over and over again in a short timeframe also could have contributed to the decline in numbers.
Lima Major, Berlin Major and now Bali Major trophies have all gone to Gaimin Gladiators, who all three times have made it to the grand finals from the upper bracket and all three times took down Team Liquid to complete a fantastic journey to TI12.
We're almost ready to write the TI grand finals series between these two teams today. ALMOST.
Bali Major onsite experience: Bust
It wasn't just the lack of viewership or the lower quality of the broadcast experience for fans at home that seemed to suffer.
The event itself had multiple production issues and complaints from the attendees.
Fans told GosuGamers on the ground that the venue was much smaller than they anticipated and were disappointed with the size. With only 1,000 fans coming to watch live, it seemed more like a community event rather than a Major event. To some, it looked "more like a music festival instead of a Dota event".
On stage, the windows were tinted, the audience couldn't see the players, and the windows/booths reflected the light. Seeing the players is always one of the benefits and more exciting aspects of watching an event live. At Bali Major, the fans were only able to see the players when they would come out on the stage.
The activity zone (360 hero stage, secret shop, and games) was quite underwhelming. The Secret Shop was just local junk food and a few shirts and a jacket mounted on a wall.
The fan meet & greet that was to be included as part of the ticket price and promotion was mostly cancelled.
It was such a terrible experience that IO Esports’ Google review got spammed by fans leaving poor reviews and 1-star ratings.
Bali Major Verdict: Bust
For a Major event, and all of the factors going for it including exclusive and luxury resort, last Major of the season and extensive price for attendance, this tournament had everything going for it to be a standout experience.
Unfortunately, IO Esports and Epulze failed to deliver on probably every possible level.
It can't be helped but to determine that the overall verdict of the event has been a bust.
Let us know in the comments if you disagree or have further thoughts on this.
