Which Seattle venue hosted The International 2012?

Benaroya Hall hosted The International 2012 in Seattle.

The venue is a prominent concert hall in downtown Seattle, but in 2012 it became the setting for one of esports’ earliest major championship events. The International ran there from August 31 through September 2, with the competition staged before a live audience.

The event used Benaroya Hall’s 2,500-seat capacity and placed players in soundproof glass booths on the main stage. That setup helped create a distinctive visual identity for early Dota 2 tournaments, combining a formal performing-arts venue with a rapidly growing competitive game.

Readers sometimes confuse the 2012 location with KeyArena, which hosted The International in 2014 and 2015. The first International, in 2011, was held at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany. Seattle became the tournament’s recurring home beginning with the 2012 edition.