Dota Summit 8 to take place as a Valve Minor in mid-December

Dota 2 fans looking for some holiday cheer have been gifted an early present. Dota Summit 6, the biannual tournament hosted by Beyond The Summit, will make its return December 13-17 at the studio’s house in California.

This event in particular will be a Pro Circuit Minor, with the Valve site listing its prize pool as $300,000 USD and 300 Qualifying Points.

The anticipated tournament always draws a large following for not just the high quality of play, but the abundance of team- and personality-centric content. Plus, the the household venue is a key part of the charm, allowing for lively interaction between teams and personalities, including player casts and some spontaneous memories.

For these reasons, Summit has become a staple not only in Dota 2, but in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Super Smash Bros communities, which now have their own Summit events as well.

Dota Summit 8 will take place right smack in the middle of the holiday season, and that bumps up the chance for Christmas-themed shenanigans, especially since the teaser video uses a mix of Sleigh Bells as background music. Of course, BTS was vividly aware of that fact during Dota Summit 6, and they created content accordingly, including cheesy family-style sweater group photos.

While Dota Summit 8 takes place in mid-December, most regional qualifiers will occur November 7-16.

North American teams also had the opportunity to battle in BTS’s The Kings Cup in September for a direct invite to the event. Eight teams participated, and The Dire, now under the OpTic Gaming banner, took top prize and will attend Dota Summit 8.