Dota 2 esports is in an odd place. Once the premier sphere, it's been overtaken by the mammoth that is League of Legends - a beast that isn't showing any signs of slowing down. While Dota 2 remains huge in the East, its Western appeal has started to falter over the years, partly because it doesn't quite have the same content release cadence as other MOBAs, and partly because there's that big shiny thing called 'Deadlock' in the works. We've seen the legendary OG rip out its roster and start all over again, The International 2025's prize pool capped out at a mere $2,881,791 (for context, in 2021 it was $40,018,195), and now, Heroic has confirmed that it's leaving Dota 2 behind.