It was announced on Thursday that the Halo World Championship Tour will be making its way to X Games Aspen 2016. The Halo 5: Guardians competition runs from January 28-31 and will feature the top eight Halo teams, six from North America and two international teams. The competition will be integrated into the ESPN telecasts of the X Games event for the first time ever! Highlights and segments from the Halo invitational will be a part of the X Games event’s telecasts.
The X Games Aspen Invitational for Halo will be live at the Halo’s Twitch channel Twitch.tv/Halo, mlg.tv/halo, and WatchESPN when the competition starts on the 28th.
The competition will start off in group play and then will proceed to a single-elimination tournament where X Games medals and $30,000 in prizes will be on the line. The Halo World Championship Tour: X Games Aspen Invitational will however not affect the regional finals for the World Championship. All of the Halo action will take place at the X Games Festival at The Gaming Shack area.
“Gaming plays a big role in the youth culture and the Halo World Championship Tour: X Games Aspen Invitational nicely complements the world-class action sports competition and musical elements at the X Games.” said X Games Vice President Tim Reed. Underlining the prevalence and popularity of gaming in today’s society.
“We are committed to the long-term growth of Halo esports through world-class events and the expansion of viewership around the globe,” Microsoft Corporate Vice President and head of 343 Industries, Bonnie Ross, had this to say about Halo esports and the announcement of the X Games Invitational and also said, “There is no one better than X Games and ESPN to team up with for the Halo World Championship Tour, and we’re excited to see the best teams compete for gold this January at the X Games Aspen Invitational.”
This is great news for Halo esports which is getting the same treatment Call of Duty received by being invited to the X Games. Halo esports being integrated into telecast is good news in expanding viewership and the growth of not only Halo but esports as a whole which continues to grow. Console esports are on the rise but are not quite yet at big as PC games such as League of Legends, StarCraft, and Counter-Strike.
Halo World Championship Tour: X Games Aspen Invitational takes place January 28-31. Tickets and more information is available here.