World of Warcraft China (WoW) will sponsor two Chinese Dota 2 organizations, Xtreme Gaming and G2xiG, during The International 2024 (TI13), according to announcements and reports revealed on Monday (Sep. 2).
As per posters shared on Chinese social media, G2xiG and Xtreme Gaming will be sponsored by World of Warcraft China for the duration of TI13. WoW is celebrating the release of its latest expansion, The War Within, and the sponsorship deal is set to promote the game.
Image Credit: Xtreme Gaming on bilibili
However, the sponsorship was reportedly almost put in jeopardy due to a recent ruling by Dota 2’s creator Valve. The Esports Advocate reported that issues had arisen with the deals amid Valve’s announcement that no in-game advertisements would be allowed at The International.
As per a statement by World of Warcraft China, translated by The Esports Advocate, the original plan was to put “For Xal’atath” alongside Xtreme Gaming players banners and names in-game, and “For Azeroth” alongside G2xiG.
With the recent ruling this became impossible, but WoW China still opted to continue support of both Chinese teams during TI13.
WoW in China has had a tumultuous history over the last few years. In 2023, Blizzard, WoW’s developer, pulled out of China, ending their long-standing deal with distributor NetEase. In April 2024, it was announced the game would return to China, ending the drought. In July, as part of WoW’s return, NetEase offered bounties to hunt down cheaters on the Chinese servers.
The partnership between Warcraft and a Dota 2 team is also a big surprise, as WoW and Dota have a long, and not always pleasant history. Dota 2’s precursor, Defense of the Ancients, started off as a mod for Warcraft III. In 2011, as Valve geared up to release Dota 2, Blizzard attempted claim the Defense of the Ancients, DotA, Dota, and DOTA copyrights.
Over a decade later, Warcraft and Dota seem to be able to co-exist. But Valve’s last-minute decision has caused this sponsorship to lack some of its magnitude.