Even though we all knew this, and Valve has been hinting towards new monetization paradigms, today they issued a press release just making sure we all understand that Dota 2, the MOBA-style hit that is going to take on games like League of Legends, will indeed be free-to-play. They then detailed the Dota Store, which will offer the chance for community-created content to go on sale for real cash (as well as Valve-created content), very similar to Steam Workshop.
Here’s the press release:
May 31, 2012 – Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Counter-Strike, Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, Portal, and Team Fortress) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today confirmed that Dota 2 will be free to play and announced the Dota Store in preparation for the game’s release.
Upon its opening, the Dota Store will offer items created by Valve and members of the community that may be used immediately and carried over after the public launch of the game. Early Access to the game is not required to purchase items before launch. However, gamers may get into the game now by purchasing the Dota 2 Early Access Bundle of items.
“The opening of the Dota Store is a big part of our final push to launch,” said IceFrog, design lead on Dota 2. “With support for the Steam Workshop, the majority of the items made available on day one were created and being sold by members of the community. By making the game Free to Play, we hope to give gamers the ability to decide how – and how much – they want to invest in the game.”
Targeted for full release on the PC later this year, Dota 2 promises to take the unique blend of online RTS and RPG action that has made Dota popular with tens of millions of gamers around the world.
Later this summer Valve will host the International Dota 2 Championships 2012 in Seattle, WA.
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