International Dota 2 Championships prize pool exceeds $18m

The prize pool for this year's International Dota 2 Championships exceeded $18m (£11.5m) just hours before the main event commenced, breaking the record for an eSport event.

The funds are generated from sales of the TI5 Compendium, a digital booklet that grants in-game bonuses to Dota 2 players.

$18m for Dota 2's The International makes for the richest prize in eSports http://t.co/6ncPLfXYQH pic.twitter.com/fgV3j5bAnU

— Gamasutra (@gamasutra) August 4, 2015

Tournament organiser Valve is syphoning 25% of the book's profits into the pool, the size of which guarantees $6,480,556 (£4,152,590) for the winning team.

The International Dota 2 Championships is now under way in Seattle, with LGD Gaming and CDEC Gaming registering wins on Day One in the upper bracket.