Eastern European esports organization Hydra ends Dota 2 participation

18 September 2023

It’s almost that time of the year again for Dota 2 fans and followers of international esports around the world. In October, The International will be taking place at the Seattle Convention Center’s Summit (for the play-offs) and the Climate Pledge Arena (for the Finals). For the twelfth time, The International will mark the end of an ongoing Dota Pro Circuit season, making it one of the most prestigious esports tournaments in the world. There are only twenty spots available for participating teams, so the best teams around the world are currently preparing for the group stage. At the same time, some of the teams who have already been eliminated from qualifications assess their options for the future, which isn’t always the best news.

Hydra disbands Dota 2 roster

One of the teams that has missed out on The International 2023 is Hydra Esports, the Kyrgyzstan-based organization that has been making some waves in the international Dota 2 circuit since last year. This year alone they already won four events, including the Tier 3 Dota 2 Champions League Season 17 and the Phygital Games 2023 Season 2. Missing out on The International’s main event though, has made the Eastern European organization decide to disband its Dota 2 team, while they consider their Dota 2 options for the future.

“Dear Hydra fans and the Dota 2 community”, Hydra wrote on their own X account on Saturday, September 16th, “The path we've travelled has never been easy; it's been a series of highs and lows, trials and triumphs. When we embarked on this journey, we couldn't have foreseen all the obstacles and challenges that awaited us […] This decision was made after lengthy discussions and reflection, and it is aimed at radically updating and reorganizing the team. At a new stage in our history, we will look for new faces to help us rise in esports”.

Stepping down from first division

While Hydra Esports might not ring a bell for everyone, every follower of Dota 2 will have at least heard of them. The organization’s Dota 2 team debuted in the second tier of the Eastern Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) in the 2021-22 season and immediately achieved promotion to the highly competitive 2022-23 DPC first division. While the subsequent season presented them with considerable challenges, Hydra still managed to maintain its tier-one status for the upcoming season.

As such, Hydra is stepping down from Dota 2 while being in first division, which is what makes the decision so surprising. Missing out on The International 2023 proved too much of a failure for the organization to justify continuation of their Dota 2 team. It doesn’t look like it will be a permanent goodbye though, as Hydra has already expressed their intentions of coming back strong with a new roster and fresh ideas. For now, it remains to be seen in which shape or form the organization plans to rejoin the Dota 2 circuit in the future.