Valve’s in-house MOBA DOTA 2 (Steam) turns 10 years old. To celebrate, there is a three-week event, but the time seems to have been too short. In an announcement, the creators joke: The boss threatened to fire everyone if they don’t extend it.
What kind of event is this? DOTA 2 celebrates its 10th birthday in 2023. On the occasion of this special event, a anniversary event took place from August 18th to September 7th. For every victory, players were to receive a treasure that should remind them of a “historic year” of Dota (via dota2.com).
However, on September 7th, the unexpected news came that the event would be extended until September 18th – so that Gabe Newell, the boss of Valve/Steam, wouldn’t fire everyone.
Gabe Newell, the Tyrant
What’s the reason for the extension? In the announcement, which appeared on the official website on September 7th, the extension is justified: The time simply isn’t enough to secure all the coveted treasures.
The responsible parties write that they would all be fired if they did not extend the event so that the boss could complete his collection:
Nothing helped. Three weeks are simply not enough to secure all the rewards for the 10th anniversary.
Do you know who agrees with you? Gabe Newell. And do you also know who will be fired if we don’t extend the event, so he can get his Ursa set? According to Gabe, that would be us. Therefore, we are pleased to inform you that the 10th anniversary event will now run until September 18th. And we are a little relieved too.
via dota2.com
It seems to be a running gag in which Gabe Newell is portrayed as a fickle tyrant. In November 2022, a trailer for an “Announcer-Pack” was released.
The video shows how the employees crouch anxiously before the “most powerful man in gaming” while he takes selfies and plays on his Steam Deck. You can watch it here in the original English:
Moreover, it seems that DOTA 2 is currently trying to gain favor with players. After previously announcing that they would scrap the Battle Pass, they have now banned 90,000 accounts that made life difficult for new players. This indeed made some players very, very happy:
DOTA 2 bans 90,000 accounts of unfair players who bully smaller ones – “The best day of my life”
