Valve's Big Gaming Tournament Reaches New Milestone, Can Be Watched in Theaters

Update: The prize pool finally closed at $18,429,613.

The prize pool for Valve's upcoming Dota 2 tournament, The International, has reached new heights.

It now stands at over $16.5 million. That's by far the biggest prize pool in The International's history--surpassing last year's $10.9 million--and it rivals or exceeds purses for traditional sports.

By comparison, the prize pool for the 2015 Masters golf tournament was $10 million. Importantly, however, The International's top prize will be split by a team, while a single golfer took home the Masters winnings.

Valve also announced today that, through a partnership with Fathom Events, you'll be able to watch The International in more than 400 movie theaters across the United States. More information about this promotion, including a list of participating theaters, is available here.

The International raises money for its prize pool through crowdfunding. Valve, the developer of Dota 2, sells an in-game collection of items, called the Compendium, for $10. Valve gets a 75 percent cut of each purchase, which means the developer is making a nice chunk of change for this record-setting year.

Now entering its fifth year, The International takes place at the KeyArena in Seattle August 3-8.