Despite the high-level Dota on display, the Shanghai Major is remembered as the hottest mess—volcanic, even. Chris detailed what went wrong in a post worthy of its own leather-bound tome, but the highlights include starving talent, a manager trapped in a lift, a missing keyboard and the audience being ordered to vacate the premises. The drama peaked with the sacking of the event's production company.
Perfect World, Dota's publisher in China, has now issued an apology. From the Chinese Dota 2 site:
Dear DOTA2 Players and Fans,
We deeply regret that a series of mistakes caused a multitude of problems at the Shanghai Major. As the organizer of the event, we must take full responsibility. We sincerely apologize for the disappointment and pain that you experienced.
We have started a full scope investigation and have taken corrective actions, starting with making changes to internal Perfect World personnel. We would ask for forgiveness from all of the DOTA2 fans and players, and hope to rebuild the trust that we have damaged.
Best Regards,
Yunfan Zhang
President
Perfect World
For all the heavy-handed talk of firing people, I'd say we're safe in assuming that slip-ups of this magnitude are unlikely to happen again. With a lucrative brand to protect and a stake in the future of esports, I foresee Valve getting its hands dirty at events more often.
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