Japan has virtually no presence at all in Dota 2 but will that change?
Compare that to say,China, with a 147 billion yuan (approximately $23billion USD).
And interest and investment are starting to improve.
In 2019 the Tokyo Game Show organized a small Dota tournament and streamed the event on Twitch.
In January 2022, it wasreportedthat Japan would be opening a video gaming/esports high school this coming April.
One of their teammates is participating in the program remotely from Japan.
Japan has entered the Wild Rift Market recently with theJapan Cup 2022organized by Riot themselves.
What could it take to increase Dota 2 popularity in Japan?
So we went to the source and asked Hokutora to expand on his thoughts regarding Dota 2 and Japan!
Do you think that the attitude towards PC gaming and competitive esports is changing in Japan?
I think most people who like games know about esports.
This is because there is a deep-rooted mindset that games are to be played on game consoles.
On the other hand, users who play PC games are the minority.
Do you think that interest in Dota 2 will increase as well?
“As esports becomes more widespread, I believe that people’s interest in Dota 2 will grow.
This is because no other game can beat it in terms of tournament prize money.
But sadly not many people know that the game is called “Dota 2”.”
What do you think it will take for more Japanese players to become interested in the game?
“First of all, it is necessary to provide adequate official Japanese language support.
After that, I think the role of our Japanese community is important.
This is because I feel that competitive games without a well-developed community will not survive.”
What would you like to see Valve do for the region?
“Same answer as the [previous] question, I would like to see better official Japanese support.
I have previously researched and written an article about the Steam translation community in Japan.
Do you think that we will see professional players emerge in the near future?
“I believe that there must first be a system to support young talent.
Actually, there were talented Dota 2 players among the young players in Japan.
I know several players who have reached Immortal rank while they are still in high school.
However, many of those players stopped playing Dota 2 because there is no support system for talented players.
