Was Gaben at the Dota 2 TI 2024 opening ceremony? 

No, Gabe "Gaben" Logan Newell, the co-founder of Valve, was not present at the Dota 2 TI 2024 opening ceremony. Instead, a short clip of the founder was played on the main stage in front of the live crowd after the presentation of the main stage teams and a small teaser of past TI Grand Finals. Despite the low hype around this year's TI the live crowd erupted in cheers when the nostalgic teaser was displayed during the opening ceremony.

The remaining teams will lock horns in front of the same crowd until the Grand Final. Read more about Gaben's message and the opening ceremony in TI 2024.

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What did Gaben say in Dota 2 TI 2024?

After the team presentation, the clip starts with the Valve President's famous introduction line:

"Hi, I'm Gabe Newell. 13 years ago, I had a front row seat to watch the very first champions of "Dota 2" earn their place on the Aegis, in a conventional hall, not too far from tonight's arena."

He reminisced about past TI-held arenas and venues and spoke about how everything changed except watching the best players spark memorable Dota 2 plays:

"From that hall, to a concert hall in Seattle, to arenas around the world, the crowds may have grown bigger, the players and teams may have changed, but one thing hasn't, the joy we all take in watching the best players in the world of "Dota 2"."

In conclusion, he added the following:

"So to all of you there, in the arena, to the millions around the world who are watching, I say, welcome. Welcome to the Royal Arena in Copenhagen. Welcome to Europe, back where it all began. Welcome to the greatest eSports event in the world. Welcome to The International."

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What else happened in the Dota 2 TI 2024 opening ceremony?

Gaben's clip was the last to be played in the opening ceremony. The event started with a teaser highlighting past TI years, famous commentary, and teams holding the Aegis. Then, after "2024" appeared, the logos of the participating teams were displayed one by one.

Here are the teams in the order they were presented before the crowd by the hosts:

• BetBoom Team
• Team Falcons
• Aurora
• Xtreme Gaming
• Team Liquid
• Cloud9
• Tundra Esports
• Gaimin Gladiators

Next, the Aegis was revealed, with all participating teams standing around it. The ring announcer mentioned the team names, and the camera panned to that specific roster. At the end of the ceremony, Gaben's clip with the previously mentioned message was played.