4Game

Look, I love Dota 2, I have played since beta, the core gameplay is perfect, I don't see myself ever quitting the game, but it is absolutely the most infuriating thing to try to be a fan of this game. The other live-service game I play, Final Fantasy XIV, has probably the most open devs in the industry, and it's just an insane contrast to me that in 2022 that the developers of Dota are completely faceless, speechless, and you have people doing summoning rituals to try to figure out when the game will be updated.

In contrast, I can just google when Final Fantasy XIV will be updated:

• Patch 6.1 release date: April 12, 2022
• Patch 6.11 release date: April 26, 2022
• Patch 6.15 release date: June 7, 2022
• Patch 6.18 release date: July 5, 2022
• Patch 6.2 release date: August 23, 2022
• Patch 6.25 release date: October, 2022
• Patch 6.3 release date: December, 2022
• Patch 6.4 release date: April, 2023
• Patch 6.5 release date: August, 2023
• Potential new expansion release: December, 2023/January, 2024

They're always 100% transparent if there will be a delay to the game, and there is basically zero outrage or frustration because they communicate so well.

As the schedule gets closer, they do livestreams with the developers called FINAL FANTASY XIV Letter from the Producer LIVE regularly that explain the upcoming patches, the release date, and what they're working on in the future. There is never any mystery as to when the next content will drop, which is fantastic, because it helps to figure out breaks to play other games.

And the formula is obviously working, the game has become more and more critically acclaimed with every patch, and while most MMORPGs can't last long past their initial launch, the game is growing it's fanbase and population with every expansion.

Dota on the other hand keeps it's core fan-base but has done nothing but dwindle in popularity. We're now at the point where we get ~2 major updates per year on an irregular schedule. It's hard to get excited about any new features because we know they won't be supported for more than a few months (remember crafting?). It just seems like there are no staff at Valve excited about working on Dota so it's just a few people that push updates when they feel like it. It's so insane to try to be part of a community that only seems to care about pro-players. I like watching pro-matches, but I'll never be one, I want to have fun with the game, instead.

Does anyone have any thoughts on how we can collectively push the idea to Valve that we want more regular communication, and more content that involves being a fan of the game?