The feature-length documentary follows three pro gamers from around the world.
Valve’s Dota 2 documentary, Free to Play, is coming to Netflix from tomorrow, 19th April.
Up until now, the hour-long film – which was produced way back during 2011’s The International – had been available on Valve’s YouTube channel, and – at the time of writing – is still available in its entirety online (thanks, PCGN).
Free to Play is described as a feature-length documentary that follows three professional gamers from around the world as they compete for a million dollar prize in the first Dota 2 International Tournament.
“In recent years, esports has surged in popularity to become one of the most widely-practiced forms of competitive sport today,” the video description explains. “A million dollar tournament changed the landscape of the gaming world and for those elite players at the top of their craft, nothing would ever be the same again. Produced by Valve, the film documents the challenges and sacrifices required of players to compete at the highest level.”
Valve is now attempting to make Dota 2 far more beginner-friendly, introducing several significant features to help new players learn the ropes – along with some tools to help returning players. Oh, and it’s cracking down on veterans trying to sneak into beginner pools using smurf accounts, too.
It comes just a few weeks after the launch of the Dota: Dragon’s Blood anime on Netflix, which will likely inspire a lot of viewers to try their hand at the game. Valve explained in a blog post that “the first steps of Dota discovery sometimes feel overwhelming,” and it wants to help with that.
