Dota 2
Dota 2 is a massively multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game developed by Valve Corporation, based on a popular game mod - Defense of the Ancients, from the game Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion: The Frozen Throne. Originally announced on October 23, 2010 via Game Informer, the game was then put to the test with a free beta via the giftcode system. Valve releases Dota 2 through their Steam dispatch system through which the game is updated side-by-side with the DotA versioning system.
Work on Dota 2 began in 2009, with Valve hiring Dota mod developer "IceFrog" to be the lead designer of this sequel. Dota 2 was praised by video game critics for both preserving the originality of its DotA predecessors, while enhancing the quality of the game, as well as the sense of intrigue and fun that the game delivers. However, Dota 2 has also been criticized for its steep "learning curve" and unfriendly player community. Since its launch, Dota 2 has always been the most played game on Steam, with a peak concurrent player count of 1,291,328.
Dota 2 is currently the game with the largest prize pool in the history of e-sports - The International, season 10 prize money is up to more than 40 million USD. The current version of the game is 7.30e (October 28, 2021), which launched with the latest hero named Marci, bringing the number to 122 heroes.
Website: https://www.dota2.com/international/battlepass/