Valve released a statement last January 5, 2018, confirming the facts that the government regulations and privacy issues were the main reasons they rescinded the upcoming tournament’s Major designation.
“Based on information we’ve recently confirmed regarding new government regulations for esports players entering the Philippines, we have decided to rescind the tournament’s Major designation, including the Pro Circuit qualifying points, for the Galaxy Battles 2018 tournament”. “This is based on what we feel are unreasonable infringements on the privacy of the players, as a condition to enter the country.” said Valve in their statement.
Valve had this to say with regards to the disappointed Filipino Dota 2 fans. “This isn’t a reflection on how we feel about fans in the Philippines, and we are sorry for those that were planning on attending the event.”
Without the support of Valve, there would be no Pro circuit points to gain along with the cancellation of the additional $500,000 cash prize. Making this a less attractive tournament for Pro Teams to join.
As of now, more and more teams are dropping out from the event. Team Liquid, Virtus.Pro and Team Secret have all reportedly dropped out from the tournament. If more teams drop out from the event, it could potentially face cancellation.
Galaxy Battles’ Management has recently released a statement regarding Valve’s decision and the status of the tournament through their Facebook page.
“We at the Galaxy Battles Management respect the decision made by the Valve Corporation to withdraw the Major status of the upcoming Galaxy Battles II, at the Philippine Arena on January 19th – 21st, 2018. Rest assured, the event will go on as scheduled.”
Galaxy Battles added that “We had secured the requirements set by the Games and Amusement Board of the Philippines and we continue to comply with its rules and regulations. In line with this, we encourage teams and its individual members to abide by the laws of every country they are competing at.” You can check the full statement here.
I personally agree with the Galaxy Battles Management in this case. Since eSports is actually considered a sport now, they should follow the rules and regulations that Athletes follow. eSports athletes should also be treated as real athletes.
What do you guys think? Do you feel Valve was correct with their decision? Do you agree with the Galaxy Battles Management? Let us know in the comments section.