The last Dota 2 Major tournament of this season concluded in Bali, Indonesia, with a historic fight between Team Liquid and Gaimin Gladiators in their third consecutive grand final. However, the buzz from the two European giants was overshadowed by audience remarks labeling the Bali Major as the worst Major competition they had ever seen.
The last Major of the season was held at the luxurious Ayana Resort Jimbaran in Bali, Indonesia. Although the premise of a three-day esports holiday sounds appealing at first, backed by the gorgeous natural landscape of Jimbaran, the Bali Major event ended with a number of issues that caused many fans to criticize the performance of Epulze and IO Esports, the tournament’s organizers.
From the beginning of the group stages to the start of the playoffs, the lack of good network facilities in the resort area affected the quality of the event, which led players and fans of the Bali Major to complain. Despite being played in a LAN environment, several players reported issues within the network, which caused technical pauses. At the same time, online spectators were upset that live streaming was often cut off by dark screens, lag, and bad audiovisual quality.
In addition to these technical issues, criticism was piling up over Epulze and IO Esports’ handling of the Tundra and BetBoom controversy, which dampened the hype between these two teams. Prior to that incident, the organizer was called out due to a controversial call that nearly cost Azure Ray a chance to qualify for the playoffs.
The situation worsened when viewers got a glimpse of the actual venue for the playoffs. The community believed that the level of stage production and entertainment provided at the Bali Major was nowhere worth the price of the entrance fee, with many mocking the Bali Major setting to that Indonesian weddings. To put it in context, a regular 3-day pass for the Bali Major cost $388, and $888 for VIP (without tax). This fee was higher than that of The International 11 competition in Singapore last year.
Several well-known Dota 2 viewers and talents from Indonesia who attended the event highlighted these issues. Dimas “Dejet” Surya Rizki, one of Dota 2’s Indonesian casters and M88 brand partners, admitted that he was unsatisfied with the production quality for such high pricing. Meanwhile, prominent Dota 2 Indonesian streamer and former pro player Rusman Hadi regretted coming to the event and jokingly said that he’d rather spend his money to attend a rock concert than going to the Bali Major.
Furthermore, some viewers from outside Indonesia criticized the organisers’ decision and identified the Major as the “Bootleg Major” due to the poor quality of the production.
This string of difficulties appears to have affected viewership for the Bali Major, which had the lowest number compared to other Majors this season. In comparison, the Lima Major in Peru, generally known as the worst Major, had higher viewership than the Bali Major. The latter recorded a total viewership of 491,359 from 123 hours and 40 minutes of airtime. Meanwhile, the Bali Major reached a total viewership of 475,421 from 125 hours and 15 minutes of airtime.
However, several players and teams who competed in the Bali Major seemed to give a positive response regarding the treatment they received at the tournament. Gaimin Gladiators’ ace, Quinn “Quinn” Callahan, praised the enthusiasm and friendliness of the Indonesian audience who came to the venue, despite the weather at the time. The captain of Team Liquid, Aydin “Insania” Sarkohi, expressed a similar sentiment, stating that he liked the Balinese vibe and would love to see the next The International in Bali.
