Valve Cancels Support To Galaxy Battles II

It looks like this season the Dota 2 Pro Circuit tournament will not enter the Philippines at all. Valve has just released a statement that they are canceling their support for Galaxy Battles II. This means that even though it can still be held, the tournament will no longer award Pro Circuit points.

In a statement, Valve stated that they objected to the terms and regulations for players to enter the Philippines. They feel the existing conditions violate player privacy to an unacceptable level. Unfortunately they do not explain at all what terms and regulations violate privacy.

There are many assumptions regarding what regulation is meant. The most likely one is the license terms for esports in the Philippines. To get a license or permission to compete in a tournament esports, players must pay, fill out forms, enter files, and undergo several tests, including a drug test. Coupled with the Philippine president’s attitude towards drugs which can be considered quite extreme, it makes sense that Valve wants to protect its players.

Valve is currently in discussions with other tournament organizers to host a replacement Major tournament. Who is the organizer is still unknown. But it looks like we won’t be getting a tournament that has official support from Valve in the Philippines for a long time.

We are still trying to contact Fallout Gaming regarding this news and will provide updates after getting more news.