A source close to the event organisers of the Major All Starts Dota 2 Tournament has revealed that the electrical surge that crippled the internet connection was caused by a portable air conditioning unit. It is unknown where the air-con came from or why it was connected to the same extension cord.
The Dota 2 tournament was abruptly brought to a halt after the connection to the Steam servers was cut, leading to a prolonged delay as organisers scrambled to rectify the problem. Ultimately, the first day of the tournament would be cancelled; with the remaining games postponed until tomorrow.
Fans were seen walking out during the delay, which lasted several hours
Event organisers, Fallout Gaming, announcing that the day’s event will be postponed to Day 2
Players were seen leaving the stage and venue moments before the official announcement was made
It turns out that a person had connected a portable air-con unit to the same extension cord as the routers and switches, which caused an electrical surge that burned out the LAN cables. We were unable to access the backstage area to verify this for ourselves, as security was only allowing event personnel into the secured areas.
Event organisers have declined to comment on the matter, but it looks like this appears to be an unfortunate series of events. The network connection should be restored by tomorrow when the Major All Stars Dota 2 Tournament continues in the morning.
Meanwhile, a spectator – probably bored from the delays earlier in the day – held a Reddit AMA for Dota 2 fans to describe just what went on during the day.
Additional reporting by Terry Bass
