Pro player salaries, “Dark Carnival,” and the 2026 Dota 2 Esports World Cup—highlights from Not For Broadcast #72
Commentators Avery “SVG” Silverman and Austin “Cap” Walsh discussed the current state of Dota 2, the format of the Esports World Cup 2026, issues in the pro scene, player salaries, media coverage, and also commented on the conflict between Neto “33” Shapira and Martin “Saksa” Sazdov. Here’s a quick rundown of the highlights in our article.
On the decline in Dota 2’s popularity and the format of the 2026 Esports World Cup
Avery noted that criticism directed at the game’s developers is acceptable as long as it is constructive and offers solutions, rather than devolving into pointless whining. In his opinion, people in the esports industry should promote the discipline in a positive light.
Discussing the EWC 2026, the casters highlighted PARIVISION’s victory, calling it well-deserved. At the same time, criticism of the format by Team Falcons offlaner Ammar “ATF” al-Assaf was dismissed as emotional and a weak excuse: while the long break between stages does indeed disrupt the flow of the game, a top-tier team should be able to adapt. SVG and Cap also supported potential experiments with the fearless draft at BLAST tournaments, emphasizing that the pro scene could benefit from a variety of formats.
On player salaries, contracts, and the state of organizations
Silverman and Walsh discussed the inflated salaries of professional players, which have risen from $3,000 to $10,000–20,000 per month. SVG emphasized that Dota 2 players provide virtually no media exposure to their organizations, refuse to share prize money, and decline to create content, which is why traditional clubs are leaving the discipline, giving way to betting companies.
To address the issue, Avery proposed revising the contract structure: reducing the base fee for appearances and tying salary increases to mandatory media appearances and streaming. The casters also discussed the LGD Gaming roster, expressing hope that the organization pays its players’ salaries on time.
On the media presence of pro players and their influence on the audience
According to Cap and SVG, there are almost no players in Dota 2 whose departure alone could cause tournament viewership to plummet. Viewer interest is sustained by team brands and individual standout personalities—such as Yatoro, Collapse, ATF, and Quinn—as well as by fans of the Chinese scene.
At the same time, the lack of high-quality documentary content, such as True Sight, in recent years has led new players to focus exclusively on results, without developing their personal brands at all.
On the “Dark Carnival” and the conflict between 33 and Saksa
Commentators touched on the “Dark Carnival” event. Silverman expressed hope for the release of a full-fledged PvE mode, which Valve could have been working on since the announcement of Ringmaster at The International 2023, building on the foundation laid by “The Fallen Crown.”
In closing, Avery and Austin commented on Saksa’s remarks regarding his conflict with 33. The commentators noted that for Neta, professional disagreements with teammates are a completely natural process, which he treats as a routine part of his professional life.
Read also:
- SVG on the 2026 Dota 2 Esports World Cup: “The format is total crap” (first part of the podcast).
- SVG: “Dota 2 isn’t growing in terms of brand recognition, player reach, or viewership” (second part of the podcast).
- SVG on “The Dark Carnival”: “I think there will definitely be a PvE event at the end” (third part of the podcast).
Earlier, Team Falcons offlaner Ammar “ATF” al-Assaf shared his thoughts after the team’s elimination from the 2026 Esports World Cup in Dota 2, criticized the tournament format, and assessed the first map against Vici Gaming.
Photo: Valve.
