Late last week Valve, the developer of Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, announced that Galaxy Battles II would no longer have its support nor an official major status.
In response, Esports Insider was sent the following statement from Galaxy Battles management:
“We at the Galaxy Battles Management respect the decision made by the Valve Corporation to withdraw the Major status of the upcoming Galaxy Battles II, at the Philippine Arena on January 19th – 21st, 2018.
Rest assured, the event will go on as scheduled. The decision was made on Friday morning, January 5th, 2018, by the Valve Corporation, the parent company and developer of DotA 2 (Defense of the Ancients) in light of the recent events that has happened between the Galaxy Battles Management and the Games and Amusement Board of the Philippines.
We had secured the requirements set by the Games and Amusement Board of the Philippines and we continue to comply with its rules and regulations. In line with this, we encourage teams and its individual members to abide by the laws of every country they are competing at.
Our company feels that this regulation is a step towards the right direction to legitimize esports. We are currently working hard to promote a stronger and healthier gaming community.
In compliance with the Philippine government, the Galaxy Battles Management believes that following regulations will help shape the future of esports. We feel that regulations would lead towards the right direction to legitimise esports.
We firmly believe that there is a way to develop a healthy esports community in Southeast Asia. This can be accomplished through a head start at Galaxy Battles II in order to usher a new beginning for esports.
We thank you for your continuous support.”
As it stands, the tournament, although set to take place, will only see eight teams compete. 8 out of 16 teams have already announced their withdrawal, and it could be the case that more are set to follow. With no Dota Pro Circuit points on the line and concerns around the event in general, it would be unsurprising to see the tournament whittled down to even fewer.
Esports Insider says: The statement is as expected from Galaxy Battles, to be fair. There are several worries for teams surrounding the tournament hence the withdrawals and it’ll be intriguing to see just who is left come next week.