There’s a new release coming from software giant Valve – no, it’s not Half Life 3.

The company is releasing a digital collectable card game based on the universe of its smash hit MOBA Defense of the Ancients.

This new release was revealed last night at The International 2017, the DOTA 2 tournament that currently has a prize pot of $23.6m.

Given the timing of this announcement, and Valve's investment in DOTA and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive eSports, we would not be surprised to see this pushed as the next big thing for competitive gaming. 

DOTA is the latest franchise to get the collectable card game treatment; already Blizzard has dominated the sector with its World of Warcraft spin-off Hearthstone, while The Witcher 3’s in-universe card game Gwent is getting a solo release. That’s on top of Fable Fortune and The Elder Scrolls Legends.

It's easy to see why Valve wants a piece of the pie, too. Research firm Superdata says that the collectable card game centre will hit $1.4bn in 2017. 

Below is the stream of the second day of The International. The Artifact trailer appears at 8:33:25