The International 7 already broke last year’s prize pool record

This year’s Dota 2 International Championship is already breaking records, setting a new one for prize pool with about a month to go.

The total currently stands at 20,827,532 at the time of writing, which is much bigger than any other eSports tournament for any game. It’ll likely grow even more until the event kicks off on August 7. The reason for the prize pool being this much is thanks to its players crowdfunding it.

Valve launches a new Battle Pass for The International every year, which is   collection of quests, in-game items, and profile levels that you can only get if you buy one. This year’s pass includes something extra, too; a story-drive, co-op campaign for that’s also exclusive to Battle Pass holders. 25% of Battle Pass sales each year fund the prize pool for that year’s International, which is why it continues to increase every few hours.

This year’s event takes place at the KeyArena in Seattle August 7-12, where we will be seeing the best in world competing in the largest Dota 2 championship.