Hi-Rez Studios, the independent developers of the action MOBA SMITE, announced today that the prize pool for its upcoming SMITE World Championship (SWC) has surpassed $2 million, making SMITE the third eSports IP to break that barrier. The SWC’s bankroll, currently over $2.14 million, edges out the total offered by League of Legends’ 2014 World Championship.

The SMITE World Championship prize pool is a crowdfunded effort fueled by the Odyssey, an in-game promotion which sells exclusive content to SMITE players. Each microtransaction generated by the Odyssey contributes directly to the overall jackpot that eight teams from around the world will battle for in front of a live auditorium and online audience next month. The Odyssey will continue to add to the final payout of the SWC in the coming weeks. The final sum – which is still growing – will be awarded in front of the world at the conclusion of the SWC, January 9 – 11, 2015 at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta.

To commemorate this tremendous milestone, the team at Hi-Rez Studios have released a new video developer diary that looks back on SMITE’s evolving history of using community passion to fuel its competitive events. You can check out the featurettehere.

Tickets for the SMITE World Championship are available here. Hi-Rez Studios will also broadcast the showdown on Twitch.

For more on the SWC, visit www.hirezstudios.com/smite/promo/smite-world-championship. For the latest on SMITE for Xbox One as it develops, follow along on Facebook and Twitter.