Left4Dead, Half-Life and Portal developer Valve announced on Friday the start of the International DOTA 2 Championships 2012, which will conclude today at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, WA.
For those interested, the tournament is being broadcast worldwide, free of charge, complete with play by play commentary. You can view the action here, that too at multiple angles. All this and full HD quality too. from a dedicated client (available here:). A browser-based broadcast is also available.
Even more interestingly, those in Seattle over the weekend to attend PAX Prime can also attend The International, free of charge, if they present a PAX Badge. Of course, this is dependent on hall space.
The International was launched last year in Cologne, Germany during Gamescom. Sixteen of the most elite DOTA teams compete in a group stage, with a double elimination playoff $1 million USD.
Defence of the Ancients 2 (in case you were wondering what DOTA stood for) is still coming soon to PC, but promises to build on the original with it’s RTS and RPG elements.