Dota 2 star SumaiL has given a brutally honest answer when asked what motivates him to win the International again.
19-year-old Sumail, who became the the youngest ever winner of the International in 2015, was posed the question by Dota 2 reporter Kaci Aitchison at this year’s tournament, which currently boasts a prize pool of $25 million.
The Evil Geniuses midlaner didn’t take long to respond, firing back with:
“Money! Everyone else is going to tell you that they’re playing because they’re super passionate. They love the game. No.That’s the good thing, right? I’m the best at it. But I can also make money out of it, so it’s just a bonus.”
When pushed by Evil Geniuses teammate Gustav ‘s4’ Magnusson to pick one: the money or the title, SumaiL responded:
“What am I going to do with a title? I’ll take the money!”
Of course being the best player in the world will bring riches. The prize pool for this year’s International tournament stands at an astonishing $25 million.
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The International, currently taking place in Vancouver, Canada, is the final event of the Dota 2 season, and is widely regarded as the biggest tournament in esports, due to the size of the prize pool.
Valve uses crowdfunding to inflate the prize pool by selling a battle pass, which features new characters, skins and other cosmetic items, while taking a cut of the profits for The International’s prize pool.
This year’s tournament has already broken the record for the largest prize pool in esports history, dwarfing the $4.9 million prize pool at last years League of Legends World Championship.
SumaiL and Evil Geniuses in the second round of the Winners Bracket, after finish second in their pool during the group stage. Their next game is on August 22nd against OG.