In preparation for its upcoming The International Dota 2 tournament in August, Valve recently began beta testing new livestreaming features for its DotaTV spectator platform that allow Dota 2 match viewers to keep tabs on game-specific information like player stats and match data in real time.
This is chiefly notable because it suggests Valve is moving to distance itself from livestreaming market leader Twitch by launching its own platform with unique features tailored to its game. It’s yet unclear if those new features will match or exceed what developers can currently do with the Twitch API.
Until now Valve has relied on Twitch to stream its games and tournaments, but now fans can also watch Dota 2 matches broadcast in what Valve promises will be “up to 1080p at 60 frames per second” with the afore-mentioned live game data displayed via either the Dota 2 client or the new DotaTV livestreaming hub.
The launch of DotaTV livestreaming comes in the wake of a record-setting year for Twitch, which saw its number of monthly unique viewers surpass 100 million in 2014.