The question is, are we getting Kunkka, or Tidehunter? The valiant captain, or the Leviathan? With KeyTV producing, I’m afraid it might be the latter. Yes, KeyTV is back. KeyTV are the now-infamous production company that was fired by Valve over the “Shanghai Shitshow.”
Nanyang was looking for a new angle for their Dota Championships, and they found it. This year, Nanyang will be streamed from The Sapphire Princess, a large cruise ship, as it travels around the Pacific. The boat will apparently be making stops in South Korea and Japan, according to an interview with KeyTV’s Tournament Director Wang Zilin.
Nanyang Championships (or as I’m calling it, the Nanyang Boat Tournament):
- When: October 13th – 17th
- Participating Teams: Newbee and Wings (Direct Invites), LGD, EHOME, and IG are some of the well-known invitees.
- Prize Pool: ¥300,000 or ~$45,000 USD.
- Satellite-based internet connection (LOL)
If you haven’t been reading the gaming comic Nerf NOW!, it’s a good time to start.
This seems like a really expensive setup for a tournament with a low prize pool. Only Chinese teams are participating, too. It’s a novel gimmick, but without some of the big Western teams to bring in viewers I really can’t imagine this is going to be a profitable event for KeyTV. Also, how are they dealing with spectators? Do you have to buy a cruise ticket? Apparently it’ll be streamed in the outdoor cinema area on the boat, which means that people who have bought tickets for that cruise will be shown Dota ~12 hours a day and not Star Trek: Beyond?
The last time KeyTV produced a tournament they earned a complaint megathread on Reddit:
Shanghai Major: Disappointment / Complaint Megathread from DotA2
Seriously look at this list of complaints. And that was on dry land with hardwired internet!
Let’s talk about boat satellite internet for a minute. Now KeyTV is probably renting a pretty nice setup (or they claim to be) and testing everything beforehand to make sure that the connection is smooth. I’ve used boat satellite internet before. That internet was slower than our NetZero dial-up connection circa 1998. Now, granted, I was on an EPA research vessel, not a fancy-ass cruise ship, but still. Seems like a recipe for disaster.
Also, if the boat is in international (or foreign) waters when the tournament is won, are there tax complications? Maritime Law, anyone?
