The Shanghai Major was a Dota 2 tournament that took place in Shanghai from March 2–6, 2016, and was the second Major of the 2015–2016 Dota 2 season.[1] 16 teams competed in the tournament;[2] eight were given direct invitations and the other eight qualified through various qualifying tournament around the world.[3] The Major was won by Team Secret, who defeated Team Liquid in a best of five series 3–1.[4]
The Shanghai Major was plagued from the start with technical difficulties and both the production company and host, James "2GD" Harding, were publicly fired on the second day by Gabe Newell in a Reddit post.[6][7][8] Despite this, the tournament continued to experience production issues and unexpected delays, as well as less than favorable conditions for the players and broadcasters.[9]
Even after the event finished, controversy persisted. The hotel rooms the teams had stayed in were cleaned out, with a total of 40-50 personal belongings being lost or misplaced, including mice, keyboards, headsets, and car keys.[10]
