Halo esports is expected to grow in popularity.
Over the next few months, 343 Studios and Microsoft hope to extend the HCS Team Partnership program. Additional applications for esports organizations to get directly involved with top-tier Halo Infinite esports will begin to be approved.
Tahir “Tashi” Hasandjekic, the lead for Halo Esports at 343/Microsoft, broke the news. Tashi announced on Twitter that between February and April, the Halo esports team at 343 will be working to expand the Team Partnership program for the Halo Championship Series. To ensure “an open and transparent process,” details on how to apply will be released soon.
We are going to be opening up applications to expand the Team Partnership Program for @HCS from February – April. We’ll be sharing details on how to apply and what’s required publicly so that it’s an open and transparent process.
Which teams do you want to see join the program?
— Tashi (@Tashi343i) December 21, 2021
At the end of August 2021, nine esports organizations formally collaborated with the HCS before the launch of Halo Infinite and the first handful of 2021-2022 HCS events: Cloud9, Envy, eUnited, FaZe Clan, Fnatic, G2, Na’Vi, Sentinels, and Spacestation Gaming. Except for Fnatic, which has yet to field a squad, all of the partnered teams participated at the HCS Kickoff Major in Raleigh this past weekend. Envy used to compete under the OpTic banner, which it has now bought.
Associated teams have made an investment “into the future of the Halo esports ecosystem,” and are entitled to revenue sharing, priority access to filming footage at events, and other benefits that have yet to be revealed. However, the teams do not gain additional HCS points or invitations to events.
According to the HCS team, they’re searching for teams who “have a proven track record of supporting rosters in other games or even Halo,” as well as teams and organizations that are invested in Halo content developers.
A few organizations, such as 100 Thieves and Pioneers, have been cited in the replies and retweets to Tashi’s statement. Nadeshot and CouRage, two of 100T’s biggest names, were tweeting during the HCS Kickoff Major, praising the event and the environment in comparison to Call of Duty’s. At Raleigh, Pioneers was the only non-partnered team to finish in the top eight.