Cover-Credits:
Microsoft’s 343 Industries pulled off a surprise reveal and launched Halo Infinite’s multiplayer modes before its official release date. To top it off, just a day after the game was launched the developers announced plans for Halo Infinite’s first ever competitive season. North America, Europe, Oceania and Mexico are the only regions that have been included in the 2021-2022 Halo Championship Series.
Halo Championship Series 2021-2022 Overview
The new Halo Championship Series will kick off on 17th December 2021 with five-tiers of competition leading up to the Halo World Championship. While 343 Industries will be responsible for organizing the North American events, the following organizers will be involved for the international circuit:
DreamHack – Europe
Gaming Partners – Mexico
ESL Australia – Australia and New Zealand
There will be five tiers of competition which include: Online tournaments, Pros Series, Supers or Regional tournaments, Majors, and the Halo World Championship. It is surprising that Asia was not included as one of the regions given that countries like China, Japan and South Korea are some of the biggest markets in the world.
Online Tournaments: These will take place on the Faceit platform and offer a number of different stakes depending on where they fit into the roadmap.
Pro Series: Each Region will also feature online Pro Series events where the top professional teams in each region will compete against aspiring top amateur players.
Supers/Regionals: Each region will have one Online Super and one Regional Championship. The Regional Championship is a live event where players in that region will compete for cash prizing exclusive to that region in order to support those players, but also provide qualification into pool play for the Majors.
The Supers are the online versions of those tournaments featuring the same format along with the same stakes. Both will feature open brackets.
Majors: The Majors are the biggest open events in the entire season. They feature pool play with teams from each region, as well as a massive open bracket open to any teams from the participating regions.
Halo World Championship: The tournament will feature three stages:
A play-in stage for guaranteed regional representation
A group stage for the best teams from the prior Major regardless of region
The championship bracket where only the top eight remain and the lion’s share of the prizing will be awarded.
The Halo World Championships will take place from 20th October 2022.
Halo Championship Series 2021-2022 Prize Pool
The HCS season will feature a prize pool of over $3 Million USD. Each of the 4 regions will have their own cosmetic bundles featuring nameplate, emblem, Sniper Rifle coating, as well as the visor. Purchasing the bundle will contribute a “significant portion” of the revenue to the prize pool.
