Several Dota 2 fans have taken to social media and Reddit to express their anger over the price of the tickets for the Bali Major.
IO Esports, the tournament organizer in charge of the Bali Major, confirmed on May 24 that there are only two ticket options for the three days of the tournament that will be played in front of a crowd.
A standard pass is priced at $388 USD, while a premium pass, which offers access to “an exclusive afterparty”, costs $888 USD.
There has been a backlash to the prices on social media and Reddit. Many have pointed out that the fact the tickets are priced in dollars means that the tournament is targeted at foreign tourists rather than local fans.
The Bali Major will take place at the Ayana Estate, a luxurious five-star resort. Is the third and final Major of the 2023 Dota Pro Circuit and will feature 18 of the world’s best teams, who will compete for $500,000 in prize money.
According to Indonesian technology company Cermati, the minimum monthly wage in the province of Jakarta, the richest in the country, is 4.6 million Indonesian rupiah ($310 USD). When travel expenses, food and accommodation are also factored in, the total cost greatly exceeds what an average Indonesian can afford.
Bali Major ticket prices anger Dota 2 fans
Shortly after the tickets went on sale, a thread titled “Bali Major’s unreasonably expensive ticket tiers (and seat map)” was created on the official Dota 2 subreddit and quickly drew dozens of comments.
“As an Indonesian, I f**king hate this,” one user replied, referencing the fact that the event doesn’t seem to have local fans in mind.
Some users mentioned that fans will have to pay more to watch the Bali Major in person than they did for last year’s The International, the biggest event on the Dota circuit, in Singapore. Tickets for the event’s playoff stage were sold for $64 USD per day, totaling $256 for the entire phase. Watching the two-day Finals set fans back $361 USD.
“Had a few friends that were interested in Bali Major as it is the closest to us in Australia but saw the ticket price and backed out,” a user wrote. “My friend went to TI in Singapore last year and his ticket was cheaper than this Major. Ridiculous.”
Several users also mentioned how affordable tickets for the 2016 Manila Major were, with prices ranging from P50 ($0.90 USD) to P400 ($7.19 USD) per day.
Tickets for the Bali Major quickly sold out, leaving many fans frustrated. Some reported being unable to complete their purchase and wondered whether tickets were being bought in bulk by scalpers. “Is it being scraped by a bot? It’s unavailable just four minutes after sales started,” one user wrote on Twitter.
The Bali Major will be the final chance for teams to earn points toward the Dota Pro Circuit ranking, which is used to determine the teams attending The International. This year’s annual event will take place from October 10-29.
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