Following the Halo World Championship in March, HCS announced that they would be teaming up with ESL to create a brand new Pro League for Halo eSports. The series had its first LAN invitational this weekend, and now the Halo eSports community plans to see continued growth with more online and LAN events.<\/p>\n
HCS, which is sponsored by Microsoft and 343 Industries, has now become the face of Halo eSports in multiple platforms. Each year HCS normally presents the Halo World Championship, but this year\u2019s announcement of a seasonal Pro League series will allow pro players to compete in all new events.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe HCS Pro League will form the framework and basis for the action of the next Halo World Championship \u2013 and is something we\u2019re incredibly excited to launch and build upon in the coming months,\u201d development director Frank O’Connor shared in a statement.<\/p>\n
The format will include eight teams from North America to qualify for their respective league, and as the season progresses the top four teams will compete in the season\u2019s finals. CLG, who were the winners of this year\u2019s Halo World Championship, have already secured their spot in the Pro League. In addition, Evil Geniuses took a solid victory over Team EnVyUs at the Pro League\u2019s first PAX East invitational, making them the second of eight teams to qualify.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Halo is in a great position right now, with these live events and this Pro League,\u201d Halo commentator Alex \u201cGoldenboy\u201d Mendez shared following the PAX East qualifier.<\/p>\n
There have been many roster changes to the top North American teams since the Halo World Championship. All four teams that competed at the PAX East invitational \u2013 EG, EnVyUs, OpTic, and Enigma6 \u2013 featured players from the Team Allegiance roster that came in second place at the Halo World Championship.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere could maybe be one or two upsets, but for the most part you\u2019re gonna see the top teams show up and compete \u2013 and that\u2019s what you\u2019d expect at this point,\u201d Goldenboy shared.<\/p>\n
Halo Goes Global<\/p>\n
On top of the North American Pro League, Europe will have a separate Pro League that will include six qualifying teams from that region. The European scene has been slowly growing for Halo eSports, and Goldenboy said he is confident this new format will be a huge step in the right direction.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat region has been a hotbed for Halo for such a long time,\u201d he said. \u201cEU is finally going to have something consistent and something to play for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Console eSports have historically struggled when trying to incorporate other regions into the fold, in large part because different regions prioritize very different games. Goldenboy, however, sees a huge opportunity for Halo to grow under the HCS platform. He suggests that the European scene could use it as a way to promote the region\u2019s top Halo pros \u2014 not only as great players, but as excellent eSports content creators.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to see top EU players like Jimbo not only be at the top of the ladder when it comes to the Pro League in Europe, but I also wanna see him be one of the most popular streamers on Twitch,\u201d Goldenboy shared.<\/p>\n
Bringing in New Fans<\/p>\n
Having LAN competitions at gaming events like PAX East allows Halo to get the exposure it needs and introduce new fans. Over time, Goldenboy said that more eSports fans will fall in love with Halo as these competitions continue to grow.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone loves watching Halo \u2013 it\u2019s exciting, intense and fun,\u201d Goldenboy said. \u201cIt was a great opportunity for fans of other games to get exposed to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to the Pro League, Goldenboy believes that the new observer mode in Halo will help the eSports scene develop and allow grassroots organizations to rise up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile Pro League is going to be the pinnacle of Halo, I\u2019m pumped for the grassroots,\u201d Goldenboy shared.<\/p>\n
Traditionally, it is very expensive and somewhat of a challenge to operate a Halo tournament because casters must watch all eight feeds from the players. With the new observer mode, Goldenboy believes it will solve some problems with hosting Halo tournaments, and smaller organizations will also have opportunities to host events for continued growth within the eSports scene.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Following the Halo World Championship in March, HCS announced that they would be teaming up with ESL to create a brand new Pro League for Halo eSports. The series had its first LAN invitational this weekend, and now the Halo eSports community plans to see continued growth with more online and LAN events. HCS, which … <\/p>\n