"This is on Valve": Asa Butterfield joins other DOTA 2 fans in calling out the subpar The International 11 production value

While the Group Stage of the annual crowning event of the DOTA 2 calendar year rages on, the community at large has been fuming over the production quality of The International 11. Recently, Asa Butterfield, a well-known actor and part of Team Liquid, also spoke out about how subpar the quality of the tournament feels up to now.

PGL and its poor production have been in the limelight ever since the regional qualifiers kicked off back in September. Although the issues also affected the recently concluded Last Chance Qualifier, players were hopeful that the Group Stage would be a different story.

A quick glimpse at the subreddit of r/DOTA2 reveals that that has not been the case and fans have been fairly vocal about their disappointment.

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The International 11 is plagued with production issues and DOTA 2 fans are having none of it

Asa Butterfield's tweet on the matter echoed the sentiment of the majority of DOTA 2 fans who tuned in to watch the show. While the subreddit is generally filled with match discussions and impressive gameplay during such major events, this time around, it has been plastered with players complaining about the mismanagement that is on display.

Butterfield pointed out that L'Odyssee, a Super Smash Bros Ultimate tournament currently being held in France, had a "higher production value than TI 11" and that they were "making Valve look like an indie studio." The actor also clarified that even though it was PGL who were organizing the Group Stage, it was Valve who hired them for the job and should be held accountable.

Based on the responses, a number of decisions made by the tournament's organizers have not sat well with the fans. The tie-up with a betting company and the prominence of their banner during certain sections of the stream have induced a sour mood. The choice to have remote casting for many DOTA 2 fans meant some disjunction that was apparent during matches.

A post on DOTA 2 subreddit (Image via Reddit)

Players are further baffled that the DOTA 2 TI Twitch channel has not been involved with any stream, while Stream E of the Group Stage has been difficult to find for many. Furthermore, the plugin overlays, that were added after many complaints, have not worked to perfection. Fans have also complained about the streams' video and audio quality of the streams.

Some DOTA 2 fans also made the inevitable comparison to the production quality of the League of Legends World Championship 2022, which is currently ongoing. All of these issues are on top of, what many consider, a terrible Battle Pass.

Interestingly, PGL has instructed community casters to "maintain a clean and positive image" around LCQ and Group Stage during broadcasts, including social media, responses, words, and actions of the casters and whoever they choose to broadcast with.

The community has been quick to point out that this is the result of Valve's greed, given that fans provide the majority of the international event's funding. Many are afraid if the situation will be the same during the Main Event.

Thankfully, the matches themselves have been top-tier with major comebacks, upsets, and exhilarating gameplay. Keep tabs on the live updates of the Group Stage here.