(Yicai Global) Aug. 26 -- Europe's OG has claimed the world's largest esports prize, worth over USD15.6 million, by winning The International Dota 2 tournament for the second time.

OG defeated Netherlands-based Team Liquid 3-1 in the finals in Shanghai yesterday, becoming the only team to win the annual tournament twice, the National Business Daily reported. China's PSG.LGD came in third in the competition that was organized in China for the first time. 

OG members will walk away with nearly 46 percent of the record-breaking prize pool of USD33 million, crowdfunded by Dota fans. The first Dota championship in 2011 had USD1.6 million to offer. 

In the past few years, Valve, the developer of the multiplayer online battle arena video game, has released battle passes, types of in-game monetization tools, before the games each year to gather funds for the prize pool. 

Developed in 2009, Dota 2 is one of the most popular esports games in the world. Last year, the championship in Vancouver attracted a global viewership resulting in 492 million hours of streaming, according to data released by Esports Charts.

Editor: Emmi Laine