During the Road to The International this week, longtime Dota 2 enthusiasts who may recall the “TI Hub” from 2014 experienced a wave of nostalgia as OG’s legendary player Johan “N0tail” Sundstein hosted his own version of the casual coverage stream. He was joined by Grubby, Gorgc, and pieliedie.
This hub stream, broadcast on both Gorgc’s and OG’s Twitch channels, emerged as the ultimate way to keep up with the group stage of TI 2023. With four series happening simultaneously, the hub stream selected the most entertaining match while offering top-tier insights.
Despite working remotely as a talent member at TI 2023, Maurice “KheZu” Gutmann also made an appearance on this year’s hub broadcast. Fueled by a private chef who delivered delicious cakes, appetizers, and a burger that was heavily critiqued by Grubby, the 2023 TI hub continues to provide coverage throughout Phase Two of the Road to The International.
The setup and the camaraderie among the participants brought back memories of the legendary 2014 TI Hub, where nearly all English-speaking casters and panelists gathered under one roof to cover TI’s qualifiers that year. The hub had it all, from professional Dota analysis to party games and table tennis during downtime.
In addition to offering valuable game analyses, the 2023 hub engaged viewers with old stories and lively discussions, even touching on medical “opinions.” Many fans preferred the hub stream over TI 2023’s official broadcast channels, especially during the group stage. At times, the hub stream attracted more viewers than the combined viewership of two to three group-stage channels.
However, as TI 2023 entered the second phase of the group stage, the tournament’s official channel began streaming only one game at a time, allowing Valve to catch up. At the time of writing, the main Twitch channel for TI had over 80,000 viewers, while the OG hub still maintained an audience of 25,000.
The Road to the International will conclude next week with the opening round of the playoff bracket before the final eight teams compete at the Climate Pledge Arena for the Aegis of Champions.