Prize pool for The International 2016 on track to beat record

A few weeks ago, we reported on how the crowdfunded prize pool for The International 2016 - the biggest annual Dota 2 tournament on the scene - had reached $5 million in two days. And there's more news on that front, as money for the pool keeps pouring in at a steady pace.

Team Secret manager and Dota 2 analyst Matthew "CyborgMatt" Bailey has set up a website tracking the growth of the prize pool. Not only does it keep up with how much the pool increases every hour, the site also tracks how the 2016 International prize pool is doing in comparison to previous years.

And it's doing quite well, as it turns out. Currently, the The International 2016 (TI6) has raised more money from sales of its Battle Pass than The International 2015 and 2014 had done at similar points in their campaigns. The TI6 prize pool is about $700,000 ahead of where the TI5 pool was at this point. And the TI5 prize pool ended up at a whopping $18.4 million dollars.

As mentioned, all the money gets raised from sales of the Battle Pass - a collection of in-game challenges and rewards, including the option of trying to predict the results of both The International 2016 and the upcoming Manilla Major, another Valve-sponsored Dota 2 tournament. 25% of all money spent on the Battle Pass goes into the prize pool for TI6.

At the time of writing, the TI6 prize pool sits at $8.5 million. The International 2016 takes place in August.

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