Does a Saudi prince own the most expensive Dota 2 Steam account?

One of Dota 2’s biggest spenders could be a prince from Saudi Arabia.

The claimed Saudi prince has become an urban legend in the Dota 2 and Steam community. In the Steam Name section, the account’s owner introduces himself as (His Royal Highness) Prince Abdullah bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

The profile is currently named “♥️Pls watch my Dota Anime! Thx♥” but the mysterious owner appears to go by the nickname “Yuki Yukeo”. The page is decorated with art of Kaori Miyazono from Your Lie In April, as well as an anime-style girl in the background.

Much of Yuki Yukeo’s fame stems from his high-level Dota 2 battle passes. The Stratz battle pass leaderboards list him as the top spender for The International 8, 9, and 10. He is estimated to have spent $108,304 across three years. Yuki was the biggest contributor to The International 9’s $34,330,068 prize pool with $11,205 spent. The user also owns the second-highest Nemestice battle pass at level 10,044, which Stratz values at $4,187. 

His biography is consistent with the idea of Yuki Yukeo being royalty. He claims to sometimes miss game invites because his home can take more than 30 minutes to traverse. The account owner also writes that he was invited to attend The International 2019 by the Chinese government. On the subject of streaming on Twitch, Yuki explains that “there is no need for me to stream, because we already own billions worth of shares in Twitch's parent company, Amazon.” 

His Steam inventory showcases nearly all of the most expensive skins in Dota 2. He owns 14 different editions of Baby Roshan couriers with custom gem sets. The trade showcase includes the Weta Workshop-exclusive Axe of Phractos and Monarch Bow. These Axe and Drow Ranger cosmetics were bundled with real forged Dota 2 weapons and sell for $1,563 combined. The possible prince crowns his collection with a full Golden Nether Lord's Regalia. Only 25 of those exist.

But is the account's owner really a Saudi prince? Only the few members of Yuki Yukeo’s friends list might know for sure. No member of the House of Saud has publicly claimed ownership of the account, though there have been anecdotal claims verifying the account's veracity spread out across online forums and social media. It’s also difficult to determine if the House of Saud actually owns over a billion dollars worth of Amazon stock.

It's notable that the name presented on the profile doesn’t actually match any well-publicized person in the House of Saud. The profile could refer to Salman bin Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, whose relatively progressive interests and younger age might align with his being a gaming and esports fan. However, Salman bin Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud was mysteriously detained in 2018. His location and condition are currently unknown. Stratz rates Yuki Yukeo’s Dota 2 activity during those years as "intense."

The Dota 2 battle pass level records and the wildly expensive cosmetics prove that the account belongs to someone very wealthy. Yuki Yukeo could be a different and less publicized member of Saudi Arabian royalty. Estimates have spoke to the House of Saud including as many as 15,000 people as of 2011.

While the account owner may or may not be a Saudi Arabian prince, one thing we can say for sure is that they’re definitely obsessed with Dota 2.