Galaxy Battles II Lost Its Major Status

Just a few weeks before the start of the tournament Galaxy Battles II lost its major status – Valve made this decision taking into account the policies of the Philippine government regarding esports players.

Valve released the following statement:

Based on information we’ve recently confirmed regarding new government regulations for esports players entering the Philippines, we have decided to rescind the tournament’s Major designation, including the Pro Circuit qualifying points, for the Galaxy Battles 2018 tournament. This is based on what we feel are unreasonable infringements on the privacy of the players, as a condition to enter the country. The tournament itself may still proceed, but without any involvement of Valve or the Dota Pro Circuit. This isn’t a reflection on how we feel about fans in the Philippines, and we are sorry for those that were planning on attending the event.

As a result, we’re talking to tournament organizers to try to find a way to run a Major with the invited and qualifying teams, including the Pro Circuit points that would have been available in Galaxy Battles 2018.

Since October 2017 Philippines officially considers esports as legitimate sports, and treats esports players respectively – they may apply for a license and get preferences when getting visas to other countries, but at the same time they started to bear more responsibilities, such as for fixed matches; they also need to undergo mandatory drug tests.

It is unknown which teams will still want to visit the event without Valve support and DPC Points at stake, and whether the tournament will be held at all. You can read more about the tournament in our previous article.