To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Dota 2 (it was officially released July 9, 2013), spirits company Ballantine’s Scotch whiskey has teamed up with Valve’s popular MOBA to create a special partnership. The first foray into this partnership is a short movie featuring appearances from some of the game’s characters as they “head on an epic quest to collect several lost runes needed to get their hands on a dram of Ballantine’s.”
The partnership is exclusive to China, and will also see the limited release of Ballantine’s Finest x Dota 2 bottles featuring the Dota 2 brand and characters including Juggernaut, Lina, Monkey King, Marci, and Brewmaster on the label.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
This partnership with Dota 2 follows news earlier this month that Tundra Esports had signed Ballantine’s Scotch whisky as its official spirit partner during the upcoming Dota 2 The International 2023 in Seattle, Washington. This was the first team-related partnership for Ballantine’s, but not its first play in esports; earlier this year it announced a partnership with tournament operator BLAST for the 10-year anniversary of CS:GO Major in Paris.