TSM\u2019s entry into Dota 2 <\/em>was an unexpected surprise to many fans when the organization signed Team Undying in January. But it appears that the deal may have been a bit of a surprise to some internal personnel too.<\/p>
According to a report by The Washington Post<\/a>, TSM’s 10-year, $210 million deal with crypto exchange FTX deal ran into multiple \u201cspeed bumps\u201d even before today’s announcement that it was suspending its partnership<\/a>, one of which involved the very nature of the naming rights deal. <\/p>
\u201cPrior to FTX, Andy and TSM leadership had no interest in \u2018Dota<\/em>,\u2019\u201d one former employee told WaPo<\/a>. \u201c[But] the FTX people love \u2018Dota\u2019 <\/em>so much, and that\u2019s why TSM got a \u2018Dota\u2019 <\/em>team.\u201d<\/p>
While TSM also denies<\/a> that FTX was unhappy with the value of its investment and that stakeholders stated \u201con multiple occasions that TSM was delivering everything it promised,\u201d another former employee claims that wasn\u2019t the case and the esports organization needed to figure out ways to bring more value to the table. Hence, signing a low-investment, low-risk Dota <\/em>roster that would give the team another branding opportunity in a massive esport. <\/p>
According to a former esports executive familiar with Dota <\/em>who spoke to WaPo<\/a>, the salaries for Undying coming in as an unsponsored roster with very few potential competing offers in a dry NA scene would cap out at $12,000 per month per person. Additionally, they would have an easy out to shed that salary as Dota <\/em>is notoriously lax with its roster penalties outside of the DPC season rankings. <\/p>
Related: Dota 2<\/em> post-TI11 roster shuffle live tracker: All moves, signings, and more<\/a><\/strong><\/p>
As T1 seems poised to exit the scene<\/a> for the time being and Evil Geniuses is making the move to South America<\/a>, TSM has a clear shot at being the uncontested number-one team in NA heading into the 2023 DPC season. The roster will at least be going through a rebuild after parting ways with DuBu<\/a>, but if the organization is as \u201cprofitable\u201d and \u201cstable\u201d as it claims<\/a>, then it looks like it will retain the Dota <\/em>division as a whole. <\/p>
The suspension of the TSM-FTX partnership comes after a bankruptcy filing by FTX last week and additional issues<\/a> surrounding the alleged misuse of assets. The organization said it will remove FTX branding from jerseys, social media accounts, and all other associations as soon as possible\u2014something that started before this announcement<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>
