The International (TI) 2016 is an annual Dota 2 championship tournament hosted by Valve Corporation, the game's developer. Sixteen teams are given invitations to compete in the tournament. The first tournament took place in Cologne, Germany at Gamescom from August 17–21, 2011 and was held shortly after the reveal of Dota 2, with a total prize pot of $1.6 million and a grand prize of one million dollars. The second International took place from August 31–September 2, 2012 at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, Washington and retained the same $1.6 million prize structure. main event is scheduled for August 8–11, with the finals being held on August 12 and 13..