Dota 2 is a radically different kind of game for Valve, so it makes sense the company would be revealing the game to the public in a new way.
Confirming rumors today, Valve will be shipping out 16 teams to Germany to participate in a Dota 2 tournament during Gamescom, a tournament that will act as the game's official unveiling, too.
The team's aren't competing for simple glory, either; Valve's handing the winner $1 million bucks!
"I have had the good fortune to watch the competitors as they prepare for the tournament, and the level of play is extraordinary," said president and founder Gabe Newell in the announcement release.
Thankfully, the tournament will be broadcast live in Chinese, English, German and Russian, letting the many of us not attending Gamescom an opportunity to see what all the fuss is about as it happens.
The releases says Dota 2 will be released on both PC and Mac "later this year," but doesn't address rumors Valve's looking into the free-to-play model, following the introduction of free-to-play games on Steam. Free-to-play is a common business model for these types of games, however.
The tournament itself takes place over the five days of Gamescom, August 17 through August 21.