Dota 2 (2013)
Date: July 9, 2013
Platform: Mac / PC / Linux
Developer: Valve Corporation
Publisher: Valve Corporation / Nexon Corporation / Perfect World Entertainment
Genre: MOBA
Theme: Fantasy
Franchises: Dota
Also known as: Defense of the Ancients 2
Adaptation: Cameo
Summary:
Dota 2 is a free-to-play high fantasy action real-time strategy game developed and released digitally by Valve for the PC, Mac and Linux on July 9, 2013.
Built on the studio’s Source engine, Dota 2 is the official sequel to Defense of the Ancients, a series of custom scenarios for the 2002 game Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos that originally popularized the “Multiplayer Online Battle Arena” sub-genre. Development of the game is led by the original mod’s final lead designer, IceFrog.
Similar to the original mod, the main gameplay pits two five-player teams (the Radiant and the Dire) against each-other as they work to escort their three endless waves of AI-controlled monsters (or “creeps”) to the fortified enemy base in order to destroy the enemy “Ancient”. Each player controls an individual Hero character and, throughout the match, earn experience (to level up their stats and abilities) and gold (for purchasing items and equipment) by eliminating enemies.
Rather than using a weekly free-to-play character rotation system (similar to other MOBA games at the time, namely League of Legends), the game makes all characters playable from the start and features cosmetic microtransactions (such as alternate appearances for each Hero’s armor and weapons, alternate announcers, and custom UI enhancements) using the Steam Inventory and Steam Market systems.
The game received numerous updates since its original release, adding new Heroes, game modes (including support for custom modes), and features while revising certain gameplay mechanics. New features include better support for both new players (with integrated community-made guide support, coaching, and improved training modes) and competitive players (with improved replay and spectator support), as well as VR headset support (for spectating and viewing cosmetics). It also received a reworked client update in June 2015 (named “Dota 2 Reborn” for a short time), porting the game to Valve’s Source 2 engine (the first game released with it), and received a complete map revamp on April 2023.
Dota 2 originally received an invite-only beta in November 2011, during Gamescom 2011. It was formally launched July 9, 2013, but access was gated via a queue system until December 16, 2013. It was also distributed as a standalone game in some regions, with Perfect World publishing the game in China, and Nexon publishing the game in both Japan and South Korea. The game also received spin-offs, including the 2018 digital card game Artifact, the 2020 “auto-battler” game Dota Underlords, and the 2021 animated series Dota: Dragon’s Blood.
