Microsoft has announced that 16 teams from all across the globe have qualified to compete in the upcoming Halo World Championship. The players will battle in Halo 5: Guardians to win more than just bragging rights. The Halo World Championship pool is a staggering $2.5 million, that’s the largest prize pool in esports shooter history, so that’s a big motivation for the teams to give it all they’ve got.
The Halo World Championship pool of $2.5 million is the highest ever for a first-person shooter and the seventh largest prize pool in esports history. Halo isn’t a game that has traditionally been a hit in the esports arena but over the past few years, interest has really picked up, giving it the unique position of being a major console hit that’s also doing well in esports.
Initially the prize pool set by Microsoft was $1 million but it was raised as fans crowdfunded the pool through the REQ system of in-game purchases in Halo 5: Guardians. Similar methods have been used in other tournaments like Dota 2 to boost the overall prize pool.
Microsoft hasn’t announced an exact venue for the tournament as yet but it’s going to take place from March 18th to March 20th in Hollywood. The announcement should come soon enough.
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