While 2019 seemed to be a strong year for Dota 2, 2020 has gotten off to a rocky start. Not only has the number of official Dota 2 tournaments for this year and the next been cut to less than half the previous number, but there has also, apparently, been a massive epidemic of problems with matchmaking.
Despite the massive popularity it has enjoyed as one of the premiere MOBA games, Dota 2's overall player count has been on a steady decline for several years, and new content like heroes and changes to its map have come at a trickle while other games have released them at a steady current. This has caused many to become disillusioned with the game, and its staying power has been called into question by those who either play themselves or watch streams of the game.
Over the past few years, Dota 2's player base has been dropping by significant amounts, to the point that the future of the game may be in question if things do not change. This has led to significantly higher wait times in matchmaking queues, among other problems. It is perhaps in response to those problems that the official Dota 2 Twitter released a statement that over 40,000 players have been banned for "abusing matchmaking."
This is not the first time that large bans have occurred in Dota 2, either in the number of players banned or for the length of time that the players in question were banned. It wasn't too long ago that several toxic Dota 2 players were banned for an astonishing 19 years for bad behavior. At the time, the decision was celebrated by most players, but the responses this time around have been more mixed.
While many fans and Dota 2 players have expressed delight at banning so many who, no doubt, were doing nothing but ruining other players' fun, others have been less than happy. The elimination of so many from an already dwindling player base has not helped matchmaking times at all, and with the vague explanation of "abusing matchmaking," many are not entirely sure what the ban is for in the first place. The sad fact is that, with Dota 2's reviews already plummeting from outside reasons, this mass banning may do more harm than good for the game's reputation.
Dota 2 has a long, strong history as far as multiplayer giants go, and it is unlikely that it will see its end for several years, especially since Valve clearly still shows an interest in keeping the player base healthy. Still, when pros like JerAx begin jumping ship, it may be a sign that players are trying to squeeze as much fun as possible from the game and are just coming up with less than they used to.
Dota 2 is available on PC.