Beyond the Summit (BTS) is an Esports production company based in the United States. It started as a grassroots casting studio for Dota 2. But, it eventually grew into the production business and evolved into its present state today.
It has since been produced for various esports titles like Rocket League, CS: GO, and Smash, among others. While it elevated Dota 2 to become the premier Esport it is today, it did not receive love from devs. David “LD” Gorman revealed in a tweet that BTS won’t be producing any regional leagues during the 2023 Winter Tour.
Facing uncertainty in the future, the community expressed concern for the long-time Esports producer. Their name is synonymous with breeding the next generation of talents.
Their Dota Summit series showcased regions during off-seasons, with the chance to highlight promising teams and players. Together with David “GoDz” Parker, it would seem that BTS went out with a whimper in the Dota scene. He also laments the lack of communication and the way the news was delivered.
The New Producers
With Beyond The Summit out of the picture, new production companies took over. A Dota stable, PGL returns to produce both the West European and North American regional leagues.
In the SEA region, Epulze steps up to produce their regional league. Including the Winter Major in Lima, Peru together with 4D Esports. However, in China, Valve’s partner and publisher Perfect World continues to organize the regional league with dazzling visuals.
Meanwhile, for the South American region, ESB is the producer in charge of their regional league. However, in the early stages of the tour, they were met with technical difficulties. It made the viewing experience subpar for talent and viewers alike. The region needed help for their league to resume without hitches and for their viewer base to return.
The Return of Beyond The Summit
On January 18, community member Muriëlle “Kips” Huisman tweeted something after some background work. BTS through BTSBrasilTV accepted to give the SA DPC league coverage until the end of the tour.
This was a welcome sight for the community. BTS returned to help out even in a time when they weren’t acknowledged by Valve. The BTSBrasil page began to churn out graphics for the league and resumed operations as if nothing happened prior.
The community praised BTS and GoDz who confirmed this move on Twitter, highlighting BTS’ willingness to give back to the Esport that gave it everything. While co-founder LD is yet to comment on this development, this is a good sign for the foreseeable future. In terms of management, GoDz seems to be in charge of the Dota scene, and LD handles the in and out of other esports productions.
The Question of Competition
At first, it would seem saddening that Beyond The Summit now has little coverage in the Dota scene, but it might be a good thing. There are plenty of producers who have organized small-time tournaments that have shown consistency and solid presentation, worthy of tier 1 and 2 tournaments. This opportunity for new producers to show their capabilities is a good decision by Valve. However, they should not discount community leaders like BTS who have been with Dota for a long time.
It is still midway for all the division 1 leagues, with division 2 leagues coming up, and the winter major on the horizon, the producers have time to learn and adapt. As for BTS, this might be a sign that their time in Dota is yet to end. For a company to step up when its game needed it the most, they have surely earned newfound respect in the SA DPC.
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