Halo announces first 9 HCS partner teams for Infinite cover image

Halo announces first 9 HCS partner teams for Infinite

The Halo Championship Series is poised to make a big splash this holiday after announcing their esports plans in detail.

In a surprise announcement, the HCS announced their launch partners for the Halo Infinite HCS season.

HCS Reveals 9 Partner Teams for Launch

The Halo Championship Series (HCS) took to Twitter to announce their HCS Partner Program launching with Halo Infinite later this year. With interest for Microsoft's flagship title at an all-time high, 343 industries have taken the past two years to make sure Infinite's launch is a success.

Despite initial success, interest in Halo 5 fell off after about two years as a top console-based esport. Organizations pulled out, viewership dwindled, and pros departed for other titles as the difficulties of running a modern esports program became apparent.

With the launch of Infinite looming, 343 is looking to correct prior mistakes and provide an alternative to the CDL's franchise-based approach. The Partner program ensures organizations such as Cloud9 and FaZe Clan comes out of the gate with multiple revenue options. From promised in-game items to event activations, teams in the partnership program have meaningful revenue options.

Currently, the program is being limited to the nine launch teams, but 343 is looking to scale it as the program matures.

Is the HCS a New Competitor for the Call of Duty League?

Photo Credit: HCS
Photo Credit: HCS

Halo often draws comparisons to Call of Duty as both console shooters have shared players, casters, and sponsors over the past decade. 343 has not released exact competition details, dates, or format, but we do know it will be an open circuit-style competition.

None of these partnered Teams will receive any HCS Points, any advanced placement at events, or auto qualification to any Official HCS events that impact the roadmap that the entire other scene will compete in. This was super important to us. We’re an open ecosystem and we will have plenty of open events where anyone can compete and win. You might find however that these partnered Teams get selected for Invitationals, show matches, and things along those lines where entertainment is the real goal and those won’t have an impact on the main HCS league or competitive standings.

Tahir ‘Tashi’ Hasandjekic HCS Lead

With the CDL in flux, now could be a great time for Halo to capitalize. EUnited's Director of Marketing & Strategy is excited to bring his championship brand to the new title.

We are excited to usher in not only a new era for eUnited, but a new era for competitive FPS and Halo. We have built a legacy in the FPS community for creating meaningful content, building communities, and of course, winning championships. We are so excited to get back to work in a scene that truly deserves the full attention of the esports community. To put it simply for halo fans: we back.

John DeHart eUnited Director of Marketing & Strategy

HCS Rosters Announced

So far, four teams have announced rosters for Halo Infinite. As more teams announce rosters, we will make sure to update!

Team Envy

  • Pistola
  • Tripppey
  • aPG
  • Lucid

Sentinels

  • Lethul
  • Snakebite
  • Frosty
  • Royal2

eUnited

  • Spartan
  • Rayne
  • Ryanoob
  • Nick

Cloud9

  • Penguin
  • Eco
  • Stellur
  • Renegade

G2 Esports

  • Str8 Sick
  • Gilkey
  • Sabinater
  • Articc

Natus Vincere

  • Jimbo
  • Respectful
  • Kimbo
  • TuF0xy

The game's technical flight was well-received and the sentiment on social media was all positive. For any and all Halo Infinite esports news, keep it locked to Esports.gg