The once-thriving Dota 2 community in China is on the verge of depopulation as top players flock to the Southeast Asian (SEA) server in search of more competition and shorter queue times.
The leaderboards continued to expand as a result of the number of talents developed by each region over the years, with some of the largest of China's 1,400 players.
The drop in player count in the Chinese region has been a concern for the community in recent years, which has prompted top players to take action. The SEA server has also become a popular destination for ambitious Chinese players due to its high number of players and low ping.
North America is a close second. While China was once considered one of the most passionate Dota 2 regions in the world, NA was more aware of the danger looming. Regional pros often found themselves struggling to find ranked matches and even created in-house leagues that would allow them to continue to excel.
High-level NA players have also begun playing ranked matches in other countries, such as Europe. Some have even decided to region-hop for the 2023 DPC season. With some regions flourishing and others starving, this may become more common for players looking to keep up with international competition.