Dota 2 amateur players can pursue a path to professional esports what with ESL launching the ESL Academy aimed at fostering the undiscovered talent.
In 2018, ESL made German courier company DHL its official logistics partner, permitting DHL to transport the stage equipment to the tournament venues. The companies are taking their partnership further, with DHL sponsoring the ESL Academy.
On October 25, esports company ESL announced the creation of the ESL Academy, seeking to find Dota 2 up-and-coming players and provide them with a chance to showcase their gaming prowess on a global stage.
ESL will rely on Dotabuff, a platform which offers in-depth player statistics, to locate undiscovered Dota 2 talent both in North America and Europe. Four former veterans in the game will coach the selected players, creating their own teams and training them online and offline.
DHL will sponsor the bootcamp training, promising amateur players the treatment befitting of professional gamers.
The ESL Academy will hold final matches in the ESL One tournaments, showing the promising talent to the world.
The first season features more than $240,000 in prizes.