Commentators about the New HUD at BLAST Slam I

The official broadcast of BLAST Slam I in Dota 2 introduced a new HUD interface, which has sparked mixed reviews from viewers and commentators alike. The tournament, from 26 November to 1 December in Copenhagen, Denmark, features the world’s top teams competing for a $1 million prize pool. However, the discussion surrounding the broadcast’s presentation is proving as intense as the gameplay itself.

Belarusian commentator Alexey "Lex" Filippov expressed his confusion regarding the redesign:  

"I spent the whole day trying to get used to this HUD. I still don’t understand why they made it this way. Back in the day, PGL set the standard for innovative in-game graphics, and it was immediately clear that their approach was fresh, cool, and informative. Here, though, the new HUD is introduced, but critical information like aspects is only manually displayed at the start of the game. Maybe I’m just old-fashioned, but this design doesn’t work for me." 

Russian commentator Vladimir "Maelstorm" Kuzminov also found the new layout underwhelming:  

"I see that some people like it, but for me, it feels clunky and unintuitive. The only positive is the display of items, although it’s incomplete, lacking neutral items and the backpack."

Another Russian analyst, Dmitry "CrystalMay" Korchevinin, recalled BLAST’s previous experiments in other esports disciplines:  

"BLAST has always been experimental with HUD designs. I remember in 2018 they introduced a vivid, overly colourful interface in CS:GO, which initially felt overwhelming. Over time, they refined it into a clean, minimalist design. I think the same will happen with Dota 2. They’ll go through several iterations, improve the design, and eventually, other organisers might adopt some of their ideas. For now, I hope the massive top bar gets reworked." 

In addition to thrilling matches, BLAST Slam I is becoming a stage for new ideas in esports broadcasting. While not all innovations resonate immediately, they continue to push the boundaries of how fans experience the game.