MANILA, Philippines – Valve Corporation said on Friday, January 5, that it rescinded the Major designation of Galaxy Battles 2, a Dota 2 tournament slated to be held in the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan later this month.

This effectively removes the Pro Circuit qualifying points for the tournament.

Valve said in a post that its decision was “based on what we feel are unreasonable infringements on the privacy of the players, as a condition to enter the country.”

In the Philippines, electronic sports players, such as Dota 2 tournament players, are considered athletes and are subject to the same visa requirements as such. According to the Games and Amusements Board, this means having medical tests, such as an ECG and drug tests.

Valve said it is “talking to tournament organizers to try to find a way to run a Major with the invited and qualifying teams, including the Pro Circuit points that would have been available” in the Galaxy Battles tournament.

Fallout Gaming, the organizers of Galaxy Battles II, issued a statement on Valve’s rescission of the tourney’s status as a Major: 

“We at the Galaxy Battles Management respect the decision made by the Valve Corporation to withdraw the Major status of the upcoming Galaxy Battles II, at the Philippine Arena on January 19th – 21st, 2018. Rest assured, the event will go on as scheduled.

The decision was made on Friday morning, January 5th, 2017, by the Valve Corporation, the parent company and developer of DotA 2 (Defense of the Ancients) in light of the recent events that has happened between the Galaxy Battles Management and the Games and Amusement Board of the Philippines.

We had secured the requirements set by the Games and Amusement Board of the Philippines and we continue to comply with its rules and regulations. In line with this, we encourage teams and its individual members to abide by the laws of every country they are competing at.

Our company feels that this regulation is a step towards the right direction to legitimize esports. We are currently working hard to promote a stronger and healthier gaming community. 

In compliance with the Philippine government, the Galaxy Battles Management believes that following regulations will help shape the future of esports. We feel that regulations would lead towards the right direction to legitimize esports.*

We firmly believe that there is a way to develop a healthy esports community in Southeast Asia. This can be accomplished through a head start at Galaxy Battles II in order to usher a new beginning for esports.

We thank you for your continuous support.” – Rappler.com