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Valve announced dates for the upcoming DPC season 2021-2022. The system reveals new details about slot allocation and DPC points for tournaments.
Slots in DPC leagues
As far as slots are concerned, we have a few changes since 2021. Except that the addition of quotas for Eastern Europe (CIS) changes the picture a bit. By the way, it is not known precisely how many slots Valve added to Eastern Europe. The English version of the site tells us that Eastern Europe will get three slots next season. However, if we change the site’s language to Russian, we immediately see that Eastern Europe has four slots for next season.
In any case, this is a success for a region like Eastern Europe. It is primarily due to Team Spirit’s victory at The International 10 and increased competition in the region. Virtus.Pro’s high ranking also influenced Valve’s decision. Both teams from the region ranked no lower than the top 6, which is an excellent indicator for the region.
The distribution of DPC slots
- Western Europe: 4 teams
- Eastern Europe: 3 or 4 teams
- China: 4 teams
- North America: 2 teams
- Southeast Asia: 3 teams
- South America: 2 teams
Stakes are going up
The information that 3 Majors are waiting for us in the new DPC season has been confirmed. By the way, the distribution of DPC points for them will be different. The distribution of points in the regional leagues will also be different. The number of points a team can earn will increase from the first season to the third. The rules for Division II remain unchanged.
| The Regional Leagues Division I | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st place | $30,000 | 300/400/500 DPC Points | Qualifies to the Major Playoffs |
| 2nd place | $28,000 | 180/240/300 DPC Points | Qualifies to the Major Group Stage |
| 3rd place | $27,000 | 120/160/200/ DPC Points | Qualifies to the Major Wild Card Stage |
| 4th place | $26,000 | 60/80/100 DPC Points | Qualifies to the Major Wild Card Stage |
| 5th place | $25,000 | 30/40/50 DPC Points | N/A |
| 6th place | $24,000 | N/A | N/A |
| 7th place | $23,000 | N/A | Demoted to Division II |
| 8th place | $22,000 | N/A | Demoted to Division II |
A similar situation will occur with Majors.
| Major Tournament | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1st place | $200,000 | 400/500/600 DPC Points |
| 2nd place | $100,000 | 350/450/550 DPC Points |
| 3rd place | $75,000 | 300/400/500/ DPC Points |
| 4th place | $50,000 | 250/350/450 DPC Points |
| 5th place | $25,000 | 200/300/400 DPC Points |
| 6th place | $25,000 | 200/300/400 DPC Points |
| 7th place | $12,500 | 100/200/300 DPC Points |
| 8th place | $12,500 | 100/200/300 DPC Points |
The DPC and Majors prize pools will not change. Like last season, the 12 teams with the most DPC points will be invited to The International 2022.
The International 2022
The International 2022 will take place in the fall, but we do not have an exact date. Also, we still don’t know the location of the next TI. I guess we won’t know for a long time due to COVID-19 restrictions. Different countries have different kinds of regulations and rules related to the pandemic. However, the experience of PGL Stockholm CS:GO Major in Sweden showed that this country is ready to host large-scale esports events.
Insiders on Reddit have reported that The International is likely to return to North America again, specifically to Seattle. By the way, TI left Seattle because of the renovation of the main venue, Key Arena.
The renovation of Key Arena, October 2020
Today, the stadium is ready for the crowd, and Valve’s infrastructure is very advanced in the city. It has always helped to organize the biggest tournaments with the highest level of hospitality. A similar experience was also in Vancouver in 2018, as Vancouver is close to Seattle and Valve had no problems with logistics.
Early dates and news
As of now, we know that DreamHack will host the DPC season in Western Europe.
DPC season dates in Western Europe
19 November – 23 January;
March 14 – April 24;
9 June – 17 July
North America this time went to tournament operator ESL.
DPC season dates in North America
November 29 – January 23
March 14 – April 24
June 6 – July 17
Overall vision
Looking at the new DPC system, it’s safe to say that it hasn’t changed too much. Yes, the late Majors are now much more valuable than the early ones. Valve intended that the team that won the first Major of the season would not sit idly by until TI. This approach should motivate teams to show competitiveness throughout the season. However, the difference in points is still not so significant.
Also, a very important factor is that teams get fewer points for online games than for winning a Major. However, we come back to the question – is this difference enough to prevent us from having a situation similar to what we had in 2021?
After all, The International 10 clearly showed that the teams that won their seasons, such as Alliance and Team Aster, showed a terrible game at TI. However, we lost the pleasure of watching teams like Nigma and Tundra Esports.
The challenge of the new DPC system was to turn in the best version of itself. Yes, there are people in the community who insist on a complete reformatting of the system and continue criticizing it. Still, so far, all that is clear is that Valve has chosen a single vector for themselves that they will follow.