No spectators at the Regional Championship. The open bracket will also take place online.
The Anaheim Regional Championship will no longer allow spectators.
Halo Infinite's pro tournament is seeing big changes in 2022 due to the ongoing global pandemic. The upcoming Anaheim Regional Championship in February will no longer have an audience. The open bracket will also be an online-only event. The winners will compete in-person at the Anaheim Regional in February — but this event will no longer have an audience.
"In order to ensure a competitive tournament that is inclusive of the broader community, we will instead be hosting an online qualifier to find the remaining eight teams and that will join the top eight teams from the HCS Kickoff Raleigh 2021," Microsoft explained to fans.
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The big changes to Halo Infinite's esports scene are due to the "rapidly changing environment" around COVID-19, including increased cases. This is to keep staff, pros, and community safe, a "top priority" for Microsoft. This means there will also be "additional measures" at the Anaheim Regional Championship to ensure that players are safe and compliance with local regulations.
Former Halo pro G1 Makowski responded to the announcement with support, stating that he hopes "everything works out." While most in the Halo community echoed this sentiment, many were still confused how the online qualifiers will work. So far, there has been no answer from official sources.
More information on the Anaheim Regional Championship will be announced on January 14.
When is the Halo Infinite Anaheim Regional Championship?
The Halo Infinite tournament is taking place at DreamHack Anaheim 2022, which is from February 11 to February 13. That's a little over a month away. Check out the complete schedule and tournament format here.
