Reality Rift bid farewell to Dota 2 roster, blaming Valve for poor management

Just over a year after it was founded, the Reality Rift team has decided to part ways with its Dota 2 roster.

The Singapore organization detailed the reasons why they decided to close the Dota 2 segment despite the relatively successful competition. These include travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Valve’s management in the pro arena, and team budgets.

Starting in May, the organization that wants to create a Dota team can become a strong contender in the Southeast Asia region, with the goal of reaching the top 12 in the world. The Dota team was officially established in June 2019, with players signed to meet the standards of “working hard and smart”.

During the journey, the organization sticks to the plan given and does not change members if it is not necessary. And thanks to sticking to the set criteria, they have picked the sweet fruit when becoming one of the top six teams in Southeast Asia. Reality Rift CEO Ilya Vlasov shared: “Overall the team had a very good journey, but external factors led us to make this decision.”

Although based in Singapore, the team’s bootcamp and team house are in Malaysia. This has inadvertently limited mobility and trapped the players during the Covid epidemic. Meanwhile, the management, coaches and staff cannot work directly with each other. Many players couldn’t go home, the Visa problem became serious. The situation is generally seen as challenging and takes a toll on people’s morale.

The second problem is Valve’s management in arranging the professional arena. This is an issue that has been raised many times since the pandemic entered its 7th month.

“If I had to explain what was going on in two words, it super easy” – Vlasov said. “I’m fine because that’s their business, but we as a team depend on Valve’s quality. The only thing that will save this esports market from collapsing is that Dota 2 is a great game and everyone loves it (and sometimes hates it).”

After Valve canceled the Dota Pro Circuit 2019-2020 and delayed The International 2020, we do not know the specifics when Valve will bring back the official Dota tournaments. Third-party tournament organizers such as One Esports, ESL, WePlay! Esports and Beyond the Summit have continued that passion, but the main driver for the season is Valve’s official league system that remains open.

Vlasov said that Valve’s way of dividing bonuses during the season is unreasonable when the rankings depend on too many factors and 90% of the whole season bonus is only given to 16 teams. It is a negative impact and makes Dota 2 not enough to appeal to traders.

As a result, RR was forced to say goodbye to the members: Lee “kYxY” Kong Yang and captain Wong “NutZ” Jeng Yih. Meanwhile, Vincent “AlaCrity” Yoong and Ravdan “Hustla” Narmandakh are in an inactive state (temporarily inactive, can be considered due to remaining contracts with the team).

The team has no plans to return in 2021, but it is still open to the possibility that they will negotiate the next direction in Dota 2 with two members still under contract with Reality Rift.

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