Microsoft and 343 Industries have revealed the esports organizations that will participate in the Halo Championship Series (HCS), which will include Halo: Infinite, in its relaunched form.
The official partner teams are as follows: Cloud9, eUnited, FaZe Clan, Fnatic, G2 Esports, NAVI, Sentinels, Spacestation Gaming, and Team Envy (in alphabetical order).
According to an official blog post, clubs were chosen based on the amount of ‘significant money' they would spend in the Halo ecosystem, including wages for players, coaches, and management, as well as content development and distribution. Specific financial details were not revealed, with the exception of the statement that none of the money would be sent to Microsoft or 343 Industries, but rather to the community as a whole.
According to the business, Microsoft is a sponsored partner of Cloud9, which includes some technical assistance for their teams. However, the Halo Infinite team is not part of this partnership, according to the company.
In a blog post published in June, Tahir 'Tashi' Hasandjekic, Halo Esports Lead at Microsoft/343 Industries, highlighted why teams are critical to the Halo Championship Series ecosystem: “Teams are very important to the success of esports, and their importance is growing all the time. First and foremost, they ensure that the participants in the scene have financial security.
“In order to ensure long-term viability, players cannot rely only on prize money; thus, it is critical that players have access to regular, dependable financial assistance in order to continue competing,” says the author. Creating material and streaming is another excellent method for professional players to supplement their income.”
Microsoft and 343 Industries also run a program called 'Grassroots HCS,' which works with content producers and tournament organizers to bring HCS to the masses.
The Halo Championship Series, which was established in 2014 and is managed by game creator 343 Industries, is the official Halo esports league. A number of organizations, including Major League Gaming (MLG), ESL, Dreamhack, and the Ultimate Gaming Championship, collaborated to organize the events (UGC). For Halo: Infinite, Esports Engine, and 343 Industries want to "create the best esports program Halo has ever seen," according to the developers.
In the background, Hasandjekic said, "we've been hard at work for the past several years building up the ecosystem, with Teams being a major component of it." The developers said they are "thrilled" to have such an amazing roster of Teams eager to leap into Halo, and they can't wait to start to work.
Esports Insider says: It's an exciting moment to be involved in Halo esports, and it's encouraging to see organizations being transparent about their selection processes. When it comes to esports teams making money outside of prize wins, the general public is usually unaware of how they do it, or what it takes to keep a tournament environment running. Hopefully, the victorious comeback of HCS will continue far into the future.
The potential in Halo Infinite has enthralled everyone from casual gamers to major content producers alike, and many major organizations have recently announced agreements with the Halo Championship Series to capitalise on this.
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Three-quarters of the way through development, 343 Industries, and Microsoft are already placing Halo Infinite's competitive scene front and center by teaming up with some of the biggest names in esports, far ahead of the game's December release date. Unlike other esports leagues, like the Overwatch League, the Halo Championship Series will not be franchised; instead, the teams will collaborate with Microsoft and 343 Industries to help Halo Infinite develop as an esport. There will also be open competitions in which anybody may participate.
“These Teams are putting substantial resources into the Halo environment, and we want to make sure that the Halo ecosystem can reciprocate by providing them with financial support,” stated Tashi, Microsoft's Halo Esports Lead, in a blog post on Halo Waypoint. “We are not receiving any of the investment money; instead, it is being distributed to the community! One of the reasons these teams were chosen was because they wanted to remain a part of the Halo community for the foreseeable future.”
The teams that have collaborated with one other are as follows:
- Team Envy
- FaZe Clan
- Cloud9
- Fnatic
- Sentinels
- Spacestation
- Gaming eUnited
- G2 Esports
- Navi