Tundra Esports spoke to Esports News UK and other publications in a press conference about their The International (TI) victory and their future in Dota 2.
London-based esports organisation Tundra won The International 2022 in late October, claiming the $8.5m top prize.
Now their management and Dota 2 players have spoken about their future, in Dota 2 and other games looking to 2023 and beyond.
When asked by Esports News UK what Tundra’s future plans are for their Dota 2 team and if they’re locking in the roster for the future, Anthony Graham, co-founder and director of esports and operations at Tundra, said: “We remain committed to the current roster and eager for the start of the next DPC Season in January.
“We are only at the beginning of our journey in Dota 2 and have laid down incredible foundations in such a short amount of time that we believe will create a platform for continued high-level long-term performances.”
Tundra have also announced that Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling, Head Coach of the organisation’s Dota 2 roster, has extended his contract with the team going into 2023.
Aui_2000 joined Tundra as Head Coach in 2021 ahead of the 2022 season, and after winning The International 11 has secured a contract extension with the team.
He commented: “I am thrilled to be extending my contract with Tundra Esports. Winning The International 11 cemented the team as one of the strongest Dota 2 rosters globally. Not only are we a strong competitive force but we have also formed a close bond as friends. If everything goes as planned I think we will for sure be championship contenders at TI12.”
Anthony added in the press conference:
“We are looking to build further on the foundations we have laid down over the last 21 months and cement ourselves in Dota 2 history!”
Anthony Graham, Tundra Esports
On other games, Anthony said: “We are extremely proud of the performances from across all our competitive rosters for a sustained period of time which is a testament to our incredible support staff. We actively support our players both in and out of the game.
“Players are provided with high-quality bootcamps for practice and to play online competitive tournaments. In addition, players are working with a psychologist on establishing frameworks and techniques to reduce burnout and stress to give them a cutting edge over their opponents which we had seen during our TI victory in Singapore.”
Anthony’s comments come after a sport psychologist working with Tundra revealed some of their performance coaching methods.
‘The DPC system pushes you to perform’ – Tundra Esports CEO
Tundra CEO Evgeniy Roshchupkin also spoke about Tundra’s investment in Dota 2 in general.
He said: “The Dota 2 ecosystem turned out to be very attractive with an amazing game and a vast and engaged global community. As opposed to franchise leagues, the DPC system pushes you to need to perform at a high competitive level constantly. Therefore, you need to source the best players, and help them on their journey, through a solid support system and an effective performance framework, including building their winning mentality, teamwork and leadership skills. Tundra’s partnership with our ambassador and shareholder Virgil Van Dijk helped us to build this framework.
“Apart from esports, we have done some amazing content around Dota 2 and achieved the highest level of social engagement, communities love what we are putting out. This benefits both the Tundra brand and our partners.
“We are very proud of our achievements in Dota 2 space in less than two years. This success helped us drive our brand value, build our community and as a result a sustainable business for Tundra.”
Evgeniy Roshchupkin, Tundra Esports
Tundra Esports’ CEO said at the Sidequest rebrand launch day to Esports News UK in summer 2022 that the org was looking to enter new esports. Tundra entered Rocket League a few months ago.
Tundra Dota 2 player Leon ‘Nine’ Kirilin spoke about the TI win, saying: “Nine: I was very overwhelmed by winning, I didn’t really understand what was going on [at the time].
“You play for this moment for so many years, and then when it happens… I was still playing the game, I took off my headset and all these things were happening, there was so much noise and everything, I was just overwhelmed. It took a while for me to understand what was going on.”
The players also spoke about what they are spending their winnings on.
Saksa bought an apartment, Nine is thinking of buying one too, and Skiter said he will finish up his apartment and buy a new car, along with some clothes – and invest some money. Sneyking said he thinks he will buy a new house for his grandparents as in their old age it’s hard for them to go up and down stairs where they currently live, and 33 said he ‘probably won’t buy anything big’.
From the archives: Tundra Esports announces Virgil van Dijk as ambassador and shareholder in music video
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
