MarsTV and Perfect World join forces to host a $1 million Chinese Dota 2 league

MarsTV, Perfect World and the Chinese Sports Information Center of National Sports General Administration have partnered in order to create a $1 million Dota 2 league for Chinese teams.

The first of two seasons of The Dota 2 Professional League, will start on May 18th and will feature 22 teams. At the end of the first season the top 10 teams will secure a spot in the first division in the next season, while teams that finished from 11 to 20 will compete in the second division. The first season will also feature a $200,000 prize pool.

The second season, the dates of which have not been announced, will feature the two divisions fighting for a share of an $800,000 prize pool, bringing the total prize pool for the year up to $1 million.

Each of the players in the league will also receive an official certificate stating that they are now official athletes in China, which should make getting visas for international events a lot easier.

The Dota 2 Professional League (DPL) will help further promote Valve’s Dota 2 in China while giving teams of all level a chance to perform at the highest level,” read a post on the official MarsTV Facebook page. Over the past few years, we witnessed some of the biggest powerhouses in China compete in both major domestic and international events. What was lacking, until now, was a platform where smaller teams could show the extent of their skills against the cream of the crop. At last year’s International, CDEC showed what an underdog team could accomplish when given the chance to play in professional tournaments.”