With the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) ground to a halt by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, WePlay! has announced that they will be hosting a 24-team online tournament, called WeSave! Charity Play, which will run from March 20-26 and will feature a US$120,000 prize pool, all of which will go towards combating the viral outbreak.
WeSave! Charity Play will be played across the scene’s six competitive regions, with each region being allocated US$20,000 and represented by four teams.
WePlay! has revealed only 15 participating teams in the charity tournament so far, and is welcoming teams from all around the world to compete in the event to “show the strength and unity of the Dota 2 community.”
Only South America has a full roster of representatives so far, with Beastcoast, Thunder Predator, No Ping Esports, and FURIA Esports already pledging their participation in the event.
Team Secret, Team Nigma, and Team Liquid are the confirmed representatives for Europe so far, with Virtus.pro and HellRaisers for CIS, EHOME and Invictus Gaming for China, and TNC Predator, Geek Fam, and BOOM Esports for Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, Business Associates is the only North American representative for now.
- Fnatic sweep OG Seed 3-0 in the Dota Summit 12 grand final
- BOOM Esports 2-0 Oracle in the Grand Final of the ONE Esports Indonesia Regional Qualifier
In addition to donating the tournament’s US$120,000 total prize pool to help combat the coronavirus pandemic, WePlay! has also pledged donations from sponsors and viewers to help further that cause.
“Many are ill with even more shut-in at home as health specialists search for a cure. Well, now its time to help their efforts and fight back against the deadly disease,” WePlay! said in a statement.
The coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt the global esports industry and notably ground the DPC to a halt, with the ESL One Los Angeles Major being postponed and the DOTA PIT Minor and EPICENTER Major also being canceled.
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