Defense of the Ancients 2 Beta Starts Soon, Retail Release This Year

Haha daniel already signed up yesterday when it started

I hope Valve didn't actually SAY it could slip into 2012, because that would mean it's probably coming out in 2013.

I would just like to say that these new red outlines make me feel super important whenever I get a reply.

They make me feel like I’ve been pulled over the cops again.

I'm not really a fan of Valve sucking up developers and just...ya know, calling them Valve.
Then tucking away the Credits deep inside of the options menu.

Anyways, retail release? If this were Activision, people would be having a riot.
I don't play DOTA games, but aren't they all free?

They aren't sucking up developers, they're hiring people that otherwise would be making no money making video games. When you work for Valve, and you make a game, that game is made by Valve.

DOTA was never a game in the first place, it was a map that LoL and HoN ripped off and this is actually (to my knowledge) made by the folks that started the whole thing.

LoL and HoN are both created by some of the original developers.

Actually, that's not entirely the truth. IceFrog (the guy working on DOTA 2) worked on updating a version of the DOTA mod. The original was created by someone else, a guy named Eul. This was then heavily modified and updated by a guy named Guinsoo to create DOTA All Stars, which is much closer to the version you see today. Later on, he worked with a guy named Pendragon, whose job was mainly to maintain the mod's official site. Those two went on to help create League of Legends.

When Guinsoo moved on from the mod to focus on his professional career, a guy named IceFrog essentially filled his shoes. IceFrog continued to modify and update DOTA All Stars. While he did excellent work, it cannot be said in any way that he actually created DOTA or even DOTA All Stars.

Additionally, IceFrog actually worked for S2 Games at one point, the guys who made Heroes of Newerth. Rumor has it that he even worked with them while starting to work with Valve at the same time, but it's unconfirmed.

So in summary: Guinsoo, creator of DOTA All Stars, worked on LoL. IceFrog, who refined DOTA All Stars successfully for some time, is working on DOTA 2, but also did some work on HoN. LoL and HoN are free to play, word is DOTA 2 will be $50. What will come out of this cluster ****? Hell if I know, man, but it's fun to watch. Plus, I'm getting some decent games out of it.