Former 9Pandas strategy director Maria "Inverno" Gunina discussed the limited opportunities for talent at The International 2024 Dota 2 event and commented on how Russian-speaking casters are undervalued in the scene.
"The era has truly ended. What can I say—I always said that working as a Russian-speaking talent in Dota is a dead-end career path," said Gunina. "Even hypothetically, there's no room for career growth. Now, career advancement has been reduced to the ability to ask for a bigger salary from the 'sugar daddy' in the studio. It's a pity for genuinely talented people," said Maria "Inverno" Gunina.
Gunina also expressed her admiration for the way English-speaking talents operate. "I like the freelance format of English-speaking talents. If you're good, different tournament organizers will hire you. Your income isn't capped by a salary; if you're great, everyone wants you, and you can set your own fee," she explained. "You get to choose where you enjoy working, and so on. The studio format doesn't have any advantages for me. Mediocre talents end up covering top-tier tournaments simply because their studio won the bid. Instead of having the best talents at major tournaments, there's an underserved rise in the popularity of community casters"
Previously, commentator Vladimir "Maelstorm" Kuzminov stated that Valve would not be bringing Russian-speaking talents to the world championship. According to him, only English-speaking casters will be working on-site.
The International 2024 will take place from September 4 to 15 as a LAN event in Copenhagen, Denmark's capital. Representing Eastern Europe at the tournament will be Team Spirit, BetBoom Team, and the winner of the regional closed qualifiers.