I’m still not fortunate enough to count myself among the DotA 2 beta community, but it seems my chances are growing day by day. Since the initial batch of beta invites went out, Valve’s DotA 2 server list has grown in leaps and bounds, up to the current 5,000+. That number may seem meaningless, but that number has grown from just over 200 servers in a matter of 10 days.

Still, it seems the number of actual beta participants is relatively low compared to the number of interested parties. This is pure speculation, of course, but a quick scout of some major DotA fansites suggests invites are out to 2-3 percent of the interested population. Those numbers are certainly lower than I expected when Valve said it would be ramping up invites every few days.

I am still excited for DotA 2, but I wonder when we’ll see a full-fledged open beta. Any later this year and we’re dipping into some major multiplayer release territory. SWTOR hits shelves in December and Diablo 3 is looming in 2012. I don’t know about you, but I won’t have time for all 3 games. I might not even have time for 2.