HEROIC exit Dota 2 as numbers don’t add up

Despite being the most successful South American team in recent years and having a constantly growing Dota 2 fanbase, HEROIC decided to step back only two years after entering the scene.

“It is with a heavy heart that today we say goodbye to Dota 2 and our amazing team,” announced the organisation days before their team is set to enter yet another Tier 1 tournament and only months away from the biggest two events of the year, The International 2026 and Esports World Cup 2026.

The Norwegian organisation made its entry into the Dota 2 competitive space in 2024, signing a South American mix of players from both Peru and Brazil. They quickly became the region’s unstoppable force. Outside regional competition, HEROIC proved themselves a true Tier 1 competitor, placing top 6 at The International 2025, and winning the first Tier 1 trophy for SA at PGL Wallachia Season 2. Yet constantly sitting in the top 6 at the biggest tournaments is not enough, HEROIC says, and it now makes a cold, hard financial call to shut down its Dota 2 operations.

Despite competitive success, a growing fan base, and significant commercial efforts, the financial results ultimately fell short, making it unsustainable for us in the long term

ex-HEROIC roster:

• Yuma "Yuma" Langlet
• Santiago "TaiLung" Agüero Gustavo
• Adrián "Wisper" Dobles
• Thiago "Thiolicor" de Oliveira Cordeiro
• Matheus "KJ" Santos Jungles Diniz
• Coach: Igor "kaffs" Estevão

“The unfortunate reality is that Dota is a tough game to commercialise, and at HEROIC we have not been able to make it bear fruit for a long time now, HEROIC’s Chief Gaming Officer, Robin Nymann. Psoted on X. “I have nothing but faith in this group of people, and the only reason we've made this decision is financial,” he reiterated.

The announcement comes only a couple of weeks after the organisation announced the signing of a new assistant coach, Gustavo "fcr" Ribeiro, who was joining to help the team ahead of TI and EWC.

“Together we made history in Dota, becoming the first South American roster to win a Tier 1 tournament and securing top 6 at The International 2025, and memories that will last,” said HEROIC in their exit announcement.

The organisation also mentioned that the players and the entire staff got their contracts terminated and are free to pursue new opportunities. It's also been said that the roster wants to stay together and compete at the upcoming tournaments.

HEROIC’s former line-up is qualified for the upcoming DreamLeague Season 29, which is set to start on the 13th of May. At the end of the month, they are also supposed to compete at BLAST Slam VII, where they received a direct invite.

It remains to be seen whether the roster finds a new place to call home before DreamLeague or the regional qualifiers for the two biggest tournaments of the year.